Dead Men Stalking
by Script Savage
Summary: Kairi has no memory of the heartless attack on Destiny Islands. All she knows is that she lives in Traverse Town, and she hasn't heard from any of her friends in three years. To make matters worse, when she finally sees Sora again, he wants nothing to do with her. Can they Reconnect?
1. Prodigy

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Okay guys...I'm going out on a limb here with this one. The whole High School AU thing has been done a lot with the _Kingdom Hearts_ universe, but I think it works. I'm going to try to be original—but I'm not making any promises; as I'm sure you all know, that's pretty hard to do in this fanverse...**

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoy _Dead Men Stalking_! It's written completely from Kairi's POV, and I'm hoping that I don't screw it up too badly, being a guy and all. If I get enough support, I'll write the companion fic from Sora's POV.**

**I apologize for the tense-change in the beginning, the story will be written in First-Person; Present-Tense, but I need to use past tense to establish the backstory.**

**Here we go!**

_**Chapter I: Prodigy**_

My name is Kairi Grimm.

I hate the dark. And thunderstorms.

Most people would think that those are pretty childish things to be afraid of; and maybe they're right.

But that doesn't change how I feel about them.

I don't like the dark because, well, something bad happened to me in the dark. I can't remember what it was or how it all started...But sometimes, when I close my eyes, I get flashes of things, bright yellow eyes, sharp teeth, and claws like razor blades.

I couldn't tell you what they were if my life depended on it, but they haunt me, stalking the fringes of my nightmares, lurking at the edges of my consciousness.

But dreams can't hurt me—at least that's what I've been told for the past seventeen years of my life, and I've had no experience to prove otherwise.

In any case, the thought of those horrible creatures is enough to propel me out of bed and into the shower so I can get ready for the first day of my senior year of High School. I'm not terribly excited though, after eleven years of the same old monotony, year twelve is probably going to be pretty run-of-the-mill.

Traverse Town High School is an nice place; the people are friendly and the teachers seem to genuinely care about the students.

But it isn't home.

I can remember home just fine—the empty hole in my memories has swallowed up my recollection of the events that brought me to Traverse Town.

I never really wanted to move from the picture-perfect beachside community of Destiny Islands to the hustle-and-bustle of a big city like Traverse Town. I'm just not wired to live in a place like this.

Destiny Islands was a picturesque little community by the Sea of Destiny, spread across a chain of islands. It was the kind of small town where everybody knew their neighbors as well as their own families, and we all stuck by each other when the going got tough.

My particular circle of friends was no exception. We were family in every sense of the word except blood relations.

Sora was my favorite. He had the deepest blue eyes in the world, and his chocolate brown hair was determined to defy gravity—no matter how much gel and grease he slathered it with. He was always in a good mood, always goofing off or telling a bad joke, and he was the first to comfort me if I was upset about something.

Riku was like our surrogate big brother. He was less happy-go-lucky than Sora—he was more the strong and silent type. He was the epitome of _cool kid_, a lot of the girls on the islands swooned at the thought of his silver hair and aquamarine eyes. More often than not, he was the voice of reason when the rest of us wanted to do something stupid, and he never hesitated to defend any of us if we got made fun of by the other kids. Riku was the strongest out of our little group, and whenever Sora wasn't making us groan with his terrible jokes, he was usually sparring with Riku with the wooden swords the two of them played with.

Naminé was the only other girl in our group, and the two of us were like sisters. She was introverted and artistic and spent most of her time drawing. She was really talented—I wouldn't be at all surprised if to find out that she's a professional graphic design artist today. She also had a gift for being able to remember absolutely everything about her life. It came in handy sometimes, but other times it was sort of creepy.

Roxas was closer to Naminé than the rest of us and the most somber out of our group of five. He was moody and kind of a loner, but when he loosened up and quit brooding he was actually a lot of fun to be around. Roxas and Riku were pretty much evenly matched when it came to their little sparring matches—Roxas used two swords, which helped him defend himself against Riku's brute strength, but Riku still won most of the time.

Roxas and Naminé both moved away to Twilight Town when I was ten, and we stayed in touch for a while, but then we drifted apart like most friends do, caught up in life and then new responsibilities that come with growing up.

Sora, Riku, and I were closer than ever after they left; most of the time, I ended up patching the boys up after they sparred, or being the voice of reason when they decided to do something crazy. I remember trying to build a raft with them when I turned fourteen...

And that's where the hole in my memory is. I do know, however, that I haven't heard from either of them for three years.

That knowledge brings a tear to my eye, and I swipe it away before I really start crying, forcing myself out of bed and into the shower—I'll miss the bus if I don't hurry. I spend too much time picking out an outfit for school—first impressions are lasting impressions, after all—and I barely have time to wolf down two Pop-Tarts and a glass of milk before running out the door.

I live close enough to the school to walk, but because of being late, I'm running full-tilt in order to get there on time.

Stupid laziness.

I'm so focused on not being late on the first day, that I plow into a small blonde girl—I don't even see her until it's too late to stop. The fact that I'm a klutz doesn't help either.

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry." My face is burning so hot that I'm sure the local fire company has been alerted. _Way to go Grimm._

The tiny blonde girl chuckles. "No worries..."

"Kairi." I tell her.

"I had a friend named Kairi," she says, as she dusts herself off. "I'm Naminé."

I look at her—it's been seven years since I last saw her, but it's definitely Naminé. "Nami!" And then I'm hugging her, trying to make up for five years' worth of no communication.

Naminé giggles, but hugs me back. "I almost didn't recognize you! What are you doing here? I thought you'd still be in Destiny Islands."

"We moved," I tell her, embarrassed for the first time that I can't remember the reason why.

Naminé nods, flipping her platinum blonde hair over one shoulder. "So did Roxas and I. Heartless took over Twilight Town, and this was the only place left to go."

_Heartless_.

Why does that name sound so familiar?

The bell rings before I have a chance to ask her what she's taking about, and then it's off to class.

Naminé and I compare schedules as we hurry to homeroom, and I'm thrilled to find out that they're an exact match—at least I'll know _someone_ at the start of the school year.

The entire homeroom period is spent explaining the rules, and the entire pre-lunch block of time, isn't much better, even if it does give me plenty of time to wonder why I haven't run into Naminé before this.

"So...I've been at this school for three years. How come we haven't run into each other before?" I ask her as we head to the cafeteria for lunch.

"I home-schooled for ninth and tenth, and I took independent study in eleventh grade—I wanted to finish my graphic design portfolio so I could submit it to the Wonderland School for the Arts. That's where I want to go to college." Naminé explained. "I only came back for the graduation ceremony...Plus, you know, prom."

I nod. "I'm glad you came back though. I was beginning to worry that I'd never see you guys again." I throw in a chuckle, so she doesn't know just how firmly I'd believed that until this morning.

"Well, you're in luck kiddo," Naminé says cryptically as we step into the cafeteria.

The cafeteria looks the same as it does every year; the same cliques are at the same tables, eating the same food, with the same people.

It's vanilla.

Uniform.

Boring.

At least until I catch sight of the three boys in black across the cafeteria. I've never seen _them_ before either...So why do they all look so familiar?

Their style isn't quite goth, but they stand out more than anyone, with their black gauntlets and fingerless gloves. They're dressed pretty much the same: black t-shirt with a strange silver logo on the chest and left sleeve, black cargo pants, and combat boots.

The similarities end there. The tallest boy has shoulder-length silver hair and piercing aqua eyes, and he's more muscular than the other two.

The second boy has spiky blonde hair that pokes out from underneath his hat, a silver ring in one ear, and a somber blue gaze.

The last boy is heartbreakingly familiar, with his head of chocolate brown spikes, and the deepest blue eyes I've ever seen. His lips are pressed together in a hard, grim line and even though he's shorter than the silver-haired guy, his folded arms and ramrod-straight posture make him infinitely more intimidating.

"Who are _they_?" I wonder. I'm not really expecting Naminé to know the answer, so I'm surprised when she pipes up.

"_Those_ are the Wielders. They keep the city safe from the Heartless. The tall, silver-haired one is Riku, the one with the hat is my boyfriend, Roxas, and the dark-haired one is Sora."

My mouth drops open and I have to shut it before I start catching flies. "Oh." _Way to be articulate Kairi._

"They're all really nice, but we probably won't get to talk to them until after school; We're going out for ice-cream. Want to come?"

"Sure," I answer. It's not like I have anything better to do, and I'd really like to find out what Sora and the gang have been up to all this time.

Especially Sora.

He's definitely matured over the years; the Sora I remember couldn't stand still to save his life, he was kind of baby-faced, and he was always smiling.

_This_ Sora has hard, angular facial features, and I can tell he works out a lot, even though he's not quite as muscular as Riku. The way he stands says that he knows how to handle himself—the Sora I knew was kind of a klutz.

_When did he get so...cute? _I wonder, my cheeks smoldering at the thought.

Unfortunately, Naminé is right, and we don't have time to talk to them during lunch.

Bummer.

On the plus side, I have my last class of the day with Naminé, the Wielders, and Riku's girlfriend, Yuffie, who's a master of ninjitsu, and extremely hyperactive.

Sora lays something on my desk when he passes. "Thanks."

I look down, at the small thassala shell charm and immediately recognize my own handiwork.

"It kept me safe like you said it would. Maybe it''ll do the same for you." His voice is deeper and huskier than I remember it being, not that that's a bad thing. His posture is rigid and stiff, and his face looks almost angry as he looks down at me

"Um...You're welcome." I'm a little confused by his attitude change, but I play along, trying not to let on that I have no clue what he's talking about.

The last period of the day is free study, and I spend it looking at Sora over my book, and he spends it glaring right back at me, which makes me a little nervous to be honest.

The bell rings sooner than I expect it to, startling me. I grab my things and head out the door with Naminé and the rest of our group. It's so nice to be back with everyone again, it'll be just like old times.

"So, who's up for ice cream?" Naminé wonders.

Everyone except Sora replies in the affirmative.

"Sora? Aren't you coming?" Naminé continues.

Sora spears me with a particularly venomous glare when he answers Naminé. "No."

"Why not?" I ask, more out of reflex than anything else.

"Because, it's not safe for you to be around me." Sora snaps, and stalks off, leaving me more confused than ever.

**Like it? Hate it? Review!**

**Yeah, I know Sora's OOC, but I like writing this version of him, and I hope you all will grow to like it over the course of the fic. Remember, more reviews means faster updates!**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Script**


	2. A Scattered Dream, or a FarOff Memory?

**Disclaimer: This is me. Owning nothing.**

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, your support is what keeps this story going!**

**I'm glad everyone's enjoying the story so far, here comes the next chapter!**

_**Chapter II: Scattered Dream, or Far Off Memory?**_

My ice-cream melts before I have a chance to eat it.

Roxas, Riku, and Yuffie left almost immediately after we arrived for _urgent business_, whatever that means.

Now it's just me and Naminé.

I stare off into space, my gaze boring holes in the wall as I wonder what on earth I could've done to make Sora so angry with me.

His absence is crushing.

The sting of his rejection is worse than any physical blow; my brain is feverish, mad with disarray as I wonder: _Why?_

The beginnings of tears prick at the corners of my eyes.

It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so..._sudden_.

I had just started to give up hope that Sora and Riku were still out there somewhere, still alive.

And now, as soon as I begin to hope that we might be able to be friends again after all these years, my hopes are dashed to pieces in front of me.

Naminé snaps her fingers and brings me back to the world called _here_ and a place called_ now _before I lose it and start bawling, which is a good thing...I think.

"It's melting..." Naminé motions to the blue sludge in the plastic bowl—the remains of my sea-salt ice-cream.

I push the bowl away. I'm hungry for answers, not for ice-cream. "Sorry. I'm just not hungry." I hope she'll leave me alone, that she won't see through my pretense of normalcy and ask what's up with me.

"You okay?" Naminé is too perceptive for my liking—or maybe it really _is_ that obvious that something's bothering me.

"Fine." _Drop it, please._ If I have to talk about it, I'm going to cry; if I start crying, I might not be able to stop.

Naminé reaches across the table and pats my hand. "I'm here if you need me, alright Kai?"

I force myself to smile. "Thanks." I take a deep breath and shove back from the table. "I should go."

Naminé's lips quirk into a frown. "Okay...See you tomorrow, right?" she pulls a gel pen from behind her ear and scribbles her phone number on a napkin. "Just in case." the blonde girl says, sliding it across the table.

"Right." My face is beginning to hurt from all this fake smiling—I don't know how much longer I can keep up the charade. "Thanks." I tuck the napkin into my purse and beat a hasty retreat.  
I at least manage to leave the ice-cream parlor before the tears spill over.

_What did I ever do to him?_

The tears are dripping off my chin by the time I arrive on my street, and I'm sure I look like a train wreck. I swipe my the back of my arm across my face, dashing at the tears and the snot and the pain.

I force myself to smile again, and it's a hollow, empty thing.

"How was your first day?" My mother asks as I trudge into the house.

"It was great!" I say, forcing an enthusiasm I don't feel into my voice. Maybe if I play it right, Mom will think these are tears of happiness rather than tears of misery.

"Are you sure? You look like you've been crying, sweetheart..."

"Oh! Yeah, I went out for ice-cream with some old friends after school. They're just as crazy as when we were kids." I choked out a laugh.

I don't say: _I don't know my friends anymore._

I don't say: _My best friend hates my guts, and I have no idea why._

I don't say:_ And I think I'm dying a little as we speak._

I say: "I had a blast!"

Mom grins. "I'm glad you had fun, Kairi."

I nod. "Well, I'm going to go pick out an outfit for school tomorrow."

"Do you want some help?"

My brain says: _No, because I'm really going upstairs to bawl my eyes out, and it wouldn't really be a productive cry if you're trying to comfort me the whole time..._But my mouth thinks differently.

"Nah, I'll be fine." And then I'm headed up the stairs. I lock my bedroom door behind me and collapse onto the bed, the tears spilling over in earnest now.

_Why...Why do you hate me, Sora?_

You see, that's the problem with the truth.

It's the truth.

Yes you can stretch it, bend it, and even break it.

You can mangle it so badly that even it's mother wouldn't recognize it.

But, it doesn't matter how good you are at playing things close to the vest, nor how tangled your web of mutilated facts and twisted words.

Because no matter how good you are at lying, you can never lie to youself.

You can fool yourself, yes.

But you can never _lie_ to yourself.

Because you know.

The truth is still buried there, festering under the carcasses and broken remains for the foul speech and untruths you've covered it with.

And that's what makes it so much worse; Sora _must_ hate me.

He _has_ to.

No _friend_ would ever be that cold.

The river of tears shows no sign of letting up, so I just let them go.

After what feels like an eternity, I've finally cried myself out, and I drift into the comfortable oblivion of sleep.

_*****DMS*****_

_ "So...What do you think we'll find out there?" Sora wants to know, scooting a little closer to me as we sit on the bent trunk of the Paopu tree._

_ Riku just _exudes_ cool, leaning against the tree with his arms folded. "Who knows?" He says. "There could be whole other cities and towns and things over the horizon."_

_ I nod. I want to believe him, because the prospect of adventure makes me feel alive, but to be honest, I don't really care what we do as long as I'm with them. I rest my head on Sora's shoulder, thinking that I might be starting to like-like him, and then I'm confused about how I should feel about that. I smile softly as he slips an arm around my shoulders._

_ I feel warm._

_ Safe._

_ Happy._

_ "But, how far could a raft take us?" I wonder. I mean, if we're talking about visiting whole other civilizations, we might need a bigger boat..._

_ "I don't know," Riku admits, but his confidence doesn't waver at all. "If we have to, we'll think of something else."_

_ "So, suppose we discover another civilization, or another city. What are we going to do there?" I wonder, sinking my teeth into this fantasy that we'll be famous explorers and end up discovering some ancient ruins or something._

_ In reality, I know a raft can't take us all that far, but hey, a girl can dream._

_ Riku is quiet for a moment. "Well, I haven't really thought about it." he confesses. "It's just that I've always wondered: if there are other civilizations out there, how did we end up in this one? And suppose there are other civilizations...Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So, we could've just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?"_

_ That's deep._

_ Way deeper than I would expect Riku to go; and he's pretty philosophical sometimes to begin with._

_ Sora's response sums up everything I'm thinking in three words: _

_ "I don't know."_

_ "Exactly." Riku continues like that's the response he expected all along—maybe it was. "That's why we need to get out there and find out. Just sitting here isn't going to change a thing. So let's go."_

_ "You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?" I observe, knowing I'm right, because there's no _way_ Riku just spouted all that off the top of his head. _

_ Riku scratches the back of his head absently. "I guess I have." He makes a face, almost like he's embarrassed and then heads back across the bridge. "See you guys tomorrow."_

_ And suddenly, it's awkward, being this close to Sora—which is odd, because it's never been before. _

_ I'm hot._

_ Too hot._

_ Too hot and too close to Sora, and suddenly, all I can think about is being away from him, just long enough to catch my breath._

_ "I'll see you tomorrow, Sora." I slip my head off his shoulder and shuffle down to the dock where the boats are tied. Just as I'm about to step into mine and start rowing back to the mainland, I realize that I don't want to leave him here alone, because I'm worried that he'll fall asleep, and then his mom will be worried sick about him, and then we won't be able to hang out for a while, because he'll end up grounded._

_ I'll go nuts if that happens._

_ Riku is fun and all, but Sora's my favorite._

_ I don't know what I would do without him; I feel like I can tell him anything, like he'll accept me for me, just because he's a good person like that._

_ And, he's also incredibly absent-minded sometimes, and after all our hard work today, I wouldn't put it past him to fall asleep here._

_ I decide to wait for him, and sit down on the dock, with my legs dangling over the edge._

_*****DMS*****_

The sense of deja vu that grips me when I wake is incredible—I can almost taste the reality of the dream.

But in the end, that's all it is.

A dream.

Fantasy.

A construction of my imagination.

So why does it feel so familiar?

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**Look sharp,**

**~Script**


	3. Fabled Friendship

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything.**

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, your support has been incredible!**

**On with the show.**

_**Chapter II: Fabled Friendship**_

I'm still plagued by that same sense of _I've-been-here-before_ when I stumble into school the next morning. The pre-lunch block of time passes slowly, filled with Naminé's sideways glances at me. I try to hide behind a smile and some half-hearted waving, but Naminé sees through my pretenses with almost no effort at all.

"What's up with you?" The blonde asks as we head to lunch. She's giving me that _I-want-the-truth_ look, and I suddenly feel a whole lot younger, which is odd, considering that I'm actually six months older than she is.

How does she _do_ that?

My brave front crumbles in the face of her withering look. "It's nothing really...Just a dream I had last night...Sora, Riku, and I were talking about taking a raft to explore the ocean around our island."

"That wasn't a dream Kairi." Naminé says seriously. "I mean, it was, but it's also a memory?"

_A memory?_ "What do you mean? How can a dream be a memory?

"You called me that night, Kairi. You were so excited to go on your trip, and you were afraid that you made Sora feel awkward by suggesting that the two of you take the raft and go without Riku." Naminé explains—that must be her crazy ability to remember everything at work.

I nod like I get it.

But really, I have no idea what she's talking about.

"Oh," I can't really think of anything else to say—I'm too busy trying to figure out how I can use this knowledge to break through Sora's shell. Maybe he's forgotten too...

Sora's leaning against the wall outside the cafeteria when we get there, his face unreadable.

"I'm going to eat outside today; it's a nice day." Naminé says

"I'll catch up to you in a minute." I pat Naminé's arm, and then approach Sora.

My heart is in my throat, and my knees feel like jelly, and apparently, my brain and tongue are not on the same page, because when my brain says: _This is a bad idea,_ my mouth says:

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" My voice is shakier and a lot less confident than I'm hoping for, but Sora looks at me anyway.

His deep blue eyes are as hard as diamonds, his gaze bores right through me. "What?" Sora's voice is hard and measured.

My teeth are sawing into my bottom lip and I'm suddenly compelled to look anywhere except at him, and my hands twist the hem of my shirt. "I was just wondering..."

"Look at me when you talk." Sora commands, and my eyes snap back to his as a blush ravages my face. His mouth is set in a grim line—he looks upset.

"S-sorry. I was wondering...if maybe...we could be friends?" I take a breath to gather my courage. "We used to be really, really good friends, and now...I feel like there's this rift between us, and I don't like it." It's much more than I planned on saying; but I'm glad I said it.

"No." Sora replies coldly, folding his arms and glaring at me.

I feel about an inch tall, and I'm not sure if I can believe what he's saying. "No?" I repeat.

"No. We can't be friends. I told you before that it isn't safe for you to be around me. What part of that was too complicated for you to understand?" Sora's response is cold and harsh, and I the beginnings of tears prick at the corners of my eyes.

"I know what you said...I just thought—" I don't have a chance to finish before Sora cuts me off.

"What exactly did you think, Grimm? Did you think that you could just pick up where you left off three years ago like nothing happened? Grow up, Kairi. This isn't a fairy-tale; shit happens, people change. Things are different now." He turns away and stalks off down the hall.

I'm a little angry at him now—there's no reason for him to talk down to me; although I'll admit that there's a small part of me that doesn't mind so much...I hurry to catch up with him. "Hey! Wait a minute!"

Sora rounds on me, teeth clenched, fists curled tightly by his sides. "Why are you still here?" He snaps.

"I wasn't finished talking to you." I try not to huff—Sora's so much taller than I am and I almost have to run to keep up with his stride.

Sora turns around and resumes his brisk pace. "I thought I made it crystal-clear when I walked away from you: this conversation is over."

My mouth drops open, and before I can come up with an intelligent response, Sora ducks slips behind a door that has three strange circles on it. I try the handle—it's locked. I the tears spill over onto my cheeks, and I dash them away with my sleeve before punching the door in frustration.

Ow.

Not a good idea...

A hand pats my shoulder, and I jump, startled. I relax a little when I see a kindly old man in a blue robe and a pointy hat.

"I'm sorry, miss, you're not allowed in there." The man says.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know...I'm Kairi, by the way." I introduce myself at the end, because I feel kind of foolish just standing here.

"Merlin," The robed man replies with a warm, gentle shake of my hand.

"I should be getting back to lunch now..." I say before hurrying away down the hall.

I duck into the bathroom for a minute to fix my make-up and then I set my jaw as I head outside in search of Naminé. I grab an apple from the cafeteria on my way out.

Naminé, Riku, Roxas and Yuffie are all crowded around a picnic table in the shade.

"Over here, Kairi!" Roxas waves, and the similarities between him and Sora make my heart twinge as I walk over to them.

"Hey guys." I slide into an open seat, taking a bite of my apple. I swallow the morsel before speaking. "So...what's up with Sora? Is he always this..._hostile_?"

Riku's expression clouds over, almost like he wants to say something, but he doesn't; he just folds his arms and sighs.

"Not a clue," Roxas admits. "He's always been a pretty laid-back guy since I've known him."

"Right..." Roxas' statement twists the knife a little further and I'm fighting back tears again. _What's wrong with me?_ I wonder. "He just seems a little..." What's the word? "Abrasive." I decide.

"I'll say something to him." Riku says. "He's probably just stressed out."

Before I have time to ask what that means, Roxas and Riku's cell phones ring at the same time. The two of them give me a sheepish look.

"Sorry, Kairi, we have to run." Roxas says; he sounds genuinely disappointed.

"Urgent business." Riku adds.

Roxas kisses Naminé's forehead gently. "Be safe," he says. "Call me if you need anything.

"I will," Naminé blushes and smiles.

Riku makes no move to kiss Yuffie, but they share a long look, and I sort of feel like I'm intruding on a private moment and I look away, mildly embarrassed.

"Take care, Kairi. Maybe we can eat lunch together another time." Riku suggests, before both he and Roxas run off to wherever-it-is they're going.

Roxas scribbles something on a scrap of paper and slides it across the table. "My phone number." he explains. "If you need anything, just give me a call."

Riku adds his number to the paper. "Me too."

I feel a little better, a little less out-of-the-loop, but that doesn't take the sting of Sora's words away. "Thanks," I say to Riku and Roxas' backs as the head off to wherever they're going. I turn to Naminé intending to grill her on her and Roxas' kiss.

"So, what was _that_ all about?" I jerk my head toward Roxas, making it impossible for her to miss my point.

Naminé squirms. "Roxas...is my boyfriend." she smiles. "He's the best a girl could ask for, he's really supportive and nice and funny and cute and sweet..." Naminé sighs dreamily.

The way Yuffie stares after Riku tells me that there's something similar going on there.

Ugh.

Alone again.

"I get the picture. Does this kind of thing happen often? Them leaving, I mean. That's gotta make things tough." I try not to sound bitter, but I'm not sure if I succeed.

"It's not as bad as you might think. They go to another cities a lot to take care of Heartless issues there; the military just can't keep up." Naminé explains gently, I think she knows that this is a touchy subject for me.

"Don't you worry about them?" The question is as inevitable as it is obvious.

"A little." Yuffie jumps in. "But I've gone along with them a few times. They know what they're doing—their training regimen makes Spetsnaz boot camp look like a cakewalk. And Sora trains harder than anyone else."

"How do I convince him to let me come along?"

"You can't," Sora's cold tone freezes my blood. He heaves a sigh grabs a fistful of his tousled hair, his body a rigid line of restraint. "It's against the rules."

"But Yuffie—" Sora cuts me off again.

"The _only_ reason Yuffie was allowed to come along was because of her combat training and the fact that Riku has absolutely _no_ regard for the Wielder's Code." he snaps, his eyes as cold and hard as frozen sapphires.

If I wasn't already sitting, I would have collapsed into the chair. "Why won't you let me be a part of you life?"

Sora's fist crashes into the table hard enough to dent the aluminum. "Dammit Kairi!" he roars.

I flinch away from him, and both Yuffie and Naminé muffle a shriek.

Sora leans over the table and stares into my eyes, his own sapphire orbs are burning. If his glare was a little less intense, I'd be getting lost in his eyes. "How many times must we have this conversation before you actually _listen to me_? Now, I'm going to say it again, and you're going to listen to me very carefully. It. Is. Not. Safe. For. You. To. Be. With. Me. You're not tagging along and you're not getting involved in this. Are we clear?"

"Y-yes. I understand." I can't think of anything else to say—I'm too shocked by his vehemence; I know I shouldn't be, but that doesn't make reality any different.

"Good." Sora replies, cold as ice. Without another word, he stalks off.

"What was _that_?" Naminé wonders.

"I have no idea..."

_*****DMS*****_

I collapse on the bed at home, exhausted and emotionally drained. Sleep takes me before I have a chance to really think about what happened today.

Maybe that's a good thing.

_*****DMS*****_

_The water laps at the pier supports beneath me as I sit on the dock to finish watching the sunset. _

_ Sora sits down next to me, but he doesn't say a word. It isn't awkward—we're close enough that the silence is comfortable between us._

_ For a few minutes at least._

_ "You know, Riku has changed." I tell Sora, and it's true—he never used to be this philosophical._

_ "What do you mean?" Sora wonders, and I'm not sure how to explain it._

_ "Well..." I pause, racking my brain for an appropriate explanation. I can't do it. Sora is too close, too warm, too..._himself_ for me to concentrate._

_ It'd be so easy to lean over and kiss him, but I don't; instead, I bite my lip and turn away from him, resisting the temptation—I don't want to make things awkward between us._

_ Sora is unusually perceptive today, and he picks up on my hesitation. "You okay?"_

_ And, just like that, Sora is my universe._

_ He cares about me, and it's on a much deeper level than friendship._

_ The desire to be with him is overwhelming, and the words spill out of my mouth before I can stop them. "Sora, let's take the raft and go! Just the two of us!"_

_ Sora blinks and looks at me like I'm crazy. _

_ "Just kidding!" I tell him, giggling, trying to play it off like it was just a crazy joke._

_ Exactly. Just a joke._

_ Except it's the kind of joke that isn't really a a joke at all._

_ "What's gotten into you? You're the one that's changed, Kairi." _

_*****DMS*****_

I wake up and wipe the tears from my face, trying to pull myself back together.

_Sorry, Sora, but I haven't changed a bit._

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**~Script**


	4. Incognito Invitations

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**Thanks to everyone for your reviews/favorites, your support means a lot!**

**On with the show!**

_**Chapter IV: Incognito Invitations**_

Okay.

So I've discovered I'm a masochist.

That's the only explanation for this that makes sense.

Sora has made it abundantly clear that he wants nothing to do with me; yet I can't stop trying to rekindle our friendship.

Especially after last night's dream. The memory of that intimate moment that we shared has only increased my desire to be closer to him.

There's a spring in my step as I head to school this morning, and Sora's gravity-defying hairdo is easy to spot in the milling crowd of students.

Against my brain's better judgment, I weave through the crowd so I can talk to him.

"Sora!" I call.

Sora's shoulders slump forward and his head drops before he rounds on me. "What do you want?" His voice is cold, but I'm too elated by my latest memory-dream to be affected by it.

"I remember!" I tell him in a low, energetic whisper. "I remember everything."

Sora scoffs at this and takes a step back. "Clearly you don't. Otherwise you would know why it isn't safe for you to be with me, and you certainly wouldn't be talking to me right now." his voice is cold and matter-of-fact.

I'm a little offended by how quickly he dismisses my claim, but I press on anyway. "But we were friends! We did everything together, me, you, and Riku!"

Sora's expression darkens, and he steps forward too close for casual conversation. "You're delusional, Grimm." He snaps.

I should probably be terrified by the amount of venom in his tone, or at the very least unnerved, but I'm not. The sharp edge in his voice pricks the beginnings of tears from my eyes and I suddenly wonder why I bothered to try talking to him in the first place.

I knew this was coming; it shouldn't hurt nearly this much, but it does. "But..."

"I don't know what you think you remember, but we aren't friends. I don't pretend to understand why you're being so thick-headed about all of this, but you need to stay away from me before you get hurt." Sora turns on his heel and tries to melt into the crowd in the hallway.

My mouth drops open as I follow him. "Is that a threat?" I demand, nonplussed.

"No. I'm simply stating a fact. If you insist on keeping company with me, you're going to get hurt. It's that simple. And I can't in good conscience allow that."

"Who said it was your decision to make?" A little anger finds its way into my tone, and I'm a more than a little surprised to find it there.

"I don't have to explain myself to you." Sora snaps.

"Like hell-" I reply, really about to let him have it, but I don't get the chance.

"We're done here, Grimm. This isn't a fucking democracy; you don't get to have a say in what I will and will not do. And we're not discussing this further. Goodbye." Sora turns his back and starts walking away.

I can't really describe the feeling that comes over me, but before I can completely register the action, my history book is hurtling down the hallway at the back of Sora's head.

"I hate you!" I don't hate him.

Not really.

But my emotions rip the words from my throat before I can stop them. I cringe, waiting for the sickening sound of the book hitting Sora's skull, his cry of pain...

_What have I done?_

I'm so busy imagining what could happen, that I almost don't notice when Sora turns, and snatches the tumbling book out of the air and slides it back to me across the floor in one fluid movement.

"Good. Maybe now you'll stay away from me." Sora snarks, and then melts into the crowd before I can come up with an appropriate comeback.

I stare at the place where he vanished for a long moment, before Naminé comes up behind me and startles me out of my daze.

"Hi, Kairi!" She's a little too cheerful for my taste, but I can't fault her for being happy—she isn't the one with a bipolar amnesiac for a friend. If you can call it that.

"Hey Naminé," I try to force myself to sound cheerful, but I don't think my attempt is all that convincing.

"Sora?" Naminé guesses, rubbing my back. Her uncanny ability to know exactly what's bothering me at the moment hasn't faded over the years we've been out of touch.

"He's an asshole." I tell her. I'm not given to profanity, but it fits perfectly in this case.

"Don't worry about him." Naminé replies quickly. "He doesn't know what he's missing out on, giving up a friend like you."

"Thanks...I needed to hear that." I do feel a little better, but I'd still like to know why it seems like Sora's only like this around me—that would give me a little closure at least. And then, I'm suddenly compelled to tell her about Sora's crazy reflexes. "I threw my book at him." I confess.

"You what?" Naminé blinks, like she doesn't think me capable of any sort of violence.

"I threw my book at him 'cause he was being a jerk, and, well, he caught it." I gesture wildly, trying to make my point. "Like, he _caught_ it our of mid-air. There was no way he could have heard me throw it, or seen it coming, because he had his back to me, but somehow he caught it."

Naminé nods and whistles quietly. "That's pretty impressive. He must have some killer reflexes. I know Roxas has told me that the Wielder's training program is no joke, so that's probably why..." Naminé grins and nudges my shoulder. "Good for you, though. I think he needs some tough love."

_Love?_ "Yeah." I agree to avoid making it awkward, but I can't ignore her words. I know I'm being obsessively analytical about something that she probably didn't mean anything by, but the prospect of being in love with Sora is extremely appealing.

I know that it probably won't amount to anything, and I'm probably setting myself up for a colossal emotional blow, but I can't really bring myself to _care_.

When will I learn?

_*****DMS*****_

Sora avoids me like the plague for the rest of the day, not that I'm surprised.

Roxas on the other hand, is actually really friendly.

"So," Roxas begins as we crowd around the lunch table.

Sora's sitting at the same table, and a twisted corner of my mind want s to count that as _progress_ in our relationship, but he's sitting as far away from me as humanly possible. He's talking quietly with Riku, and their doesn't seem to have been any change in their relationship—they're still brothers in all but blood.

"...beach this weekend. Do you want to tag along Kairi?" The tail end of Roxas' sentence fades in, distracting me from my observation of Sora.

"Huh?" I feel like an idiot for not paying attention.

Naminé chuckles, and I know that she knows exactly what I was doing; somehow, that just makes getting caught ten times more embarrassing.

"I asked if you wanted to go to the beach with Naminé and I this weekend." Roxas' gaze flickers between Sora and I; he smirks, and I just want to crawl into a hole somewhere. "That goes for the rest of you guys too." he says in a louder voice.

"Thanks for the invite, but I have plans with Riku." Yuffie says, and all kinds of filthy innuendos flash behind Roxas eyes.

He doesn't say anything though and turns to Sora. "That's cool. Maybe next time. What about you Sora?"

Sora's intense blue eyes snap up to meet mine. "No. I have other plans. Thank you, though." the politeness in his voice is forced, and I can't help but wonder if I'm the cause of that. Without another word, he shoves back from the table and stalks out of the lunchroom.

Roxas shrugs apologetically. "Sorry. You're still more than welcome to come, you know."

"I don't know..." I know it would be good for me to get away from Sora for a little while, maybe clear my head, but a large part of me is worried that something will happen to him while I'm gone. I know it's foolish and ridiculous, but I can't help but worry about him.

Even if he does hate my guts.

"Aw," Naminé whines. "But you _have_ to come! What about girl time?" she winks at Roxas.

I have to resist the urge to glare at her. Using 'girl time' against me is a dirty, underhanded trick, and I can't really say no to her now.

"Besides," Naminé continues, almost like she senses my hesitation. "I'm sure Hayner, Pence, and Olette would _love_ to meet you."

The prospect of meeting new people is nice, and it seals the deal for me. "Okay, I'll come."

"Great!" Roxas grins, and his smile is so similar to what Sora's used to look like that it hurts a little to see it.

I'm such a mess...

The rest of the lunch period zips by, and as I'm on my way to class, I swear I see Sora shaking his head at me.

I turn my head to make sure it's him, fully intending to demand to know what his problem is, but he was already gone.

I sighed and kept walking...right into a very solid wall.

Sora wasn't quite glaring at me, but his gaze was still unsettling.

"What do _you_ want?" I demand, trying to pretend that I'm _not_ completely desperate for some kind of conversation with him.

"Be careful this weekend," Sora tells me, his eyes pained. I can't quite tell if his statement is a threat or a warning.

"Oh, you're speaking to me now?" I reply scathingly, proud of myself when he sets his jaw.

"Come off it, Grimm." he snaps. "Twilight Town's tourist areas are nice, but the rest of the place is pretty much a cesspit. Stay on your guard." his cool breath washed over me, and the fact that he was in my face became a little less intimidating.

I put my hands on my hips and tried to look sassy. I can tell by the smirk on his face that I'm not really successful, but I press on anyway. "I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself."

Sora just chuckled and ruffled my hair, like I was a child. "Keep telling yourself that. If you wish hard enough, maybe it'll come true."

My teeth grind together in annoyance and I'm so flustered by his comment that I forget to ask him why he's suddenly decided to be civil. That feeling passes though, and I'm glad I don't ask, because it's probably just a fluke.

Either way, when I'm packing my clothes for the weekend, I toss my can of pepper spray into my bag, just in case.

**Questions? Comments? Concerns? Review! Your support is much appreciated.**

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**~Script**


	5. Mixed Signals

**Disclaimer: Me? Own Kingdom Hearts? As if!**

**A huge thank-you goes out to everyone who has reviewed/favorited this story! Your support is what motivates me to write!**

**Without further ado...**

_**Chapter V: Mixed Signals**_

I'm not really a 'beach girl'.

That probably has something to do with the unfortunate reality that it's physically impossible for me to tan—I just burn. You would think that, having lived in a coastal town for the better part jof my life, that my skin would be perfectly bronzed. But it isn't; I could probably pass for a vampire if I tried hard enough.

Or, maybe it's because the idea of lounging on a beach for hours on end, doing nothing but sunbathing doesn't appeal to me.

Yeah...

That probably has something to do with it.  
But, I slather on the sunscreen and plaster a smile on my face for Roxas and Naminé's sakes—they look like they're having the time of their lives. The effortless, close-knit bond the two of them share makes my heart ache for Sora and the similar bond we used to share. but I force my mind onto other things.

_Something terrible could be happening to him right now, and I wouldn't even know it..._

I can't think about that.

Not now.

But, I have to admit, it's not easy to focus on other things when Roxas and Naminé are making eyes at each other whenever they think I'm not looking. I'm happy for them, I really am, but I'm beginning to feel like a third wheel.

The prospect of 'girl time' with Naminé only gets dimmer as the day goes on. I sigh, feeling just a little foolish at expecting anything while Roxas is around—it's the thought that counts, right? I bury my nose between the pages of _The Hunger Games_ and try to ignore the beginnings of sunburn on the back of my neck.

I lose myself in the epic struggle between love and survival, at least until Naminé hugs me from behind, getting me wet and dripping water all over my book.

_Thanks_...

"Aren't you coming?" Naminé wonders. "The water's really nice today."

I can tell she's worried about me, and I feel a little guilty for brooding so much. "Sure." I dogear the page and follow Naminé down to the water.

The ocean is surprisingly refreshing, but I've barely submerged myself when Roxas shouts:

"Olette, you made it!" He pauses, and I swipe the water out of my eyes so I can see who he's talking to.

There's a thin girl with wavy brown hair and green eyes on the beach, waving, but her orange floral tank top and beige capris aren't exactly what I'd call swimwear.

Perhaps this will be my opportunity to politely escape and let Roxas and Naminé have some time to themselves...

_Must be nice_...I clamp down on the unwelcome surge of jealousy before I do something stupid, like glare at Roxas and smile at Olette.

"Where's Hayner and Pence?" Roxas wonders.

Olette shrugs, like _it wasn't my turn to watch them_. "Pence is in his photography class, and Hayner had to work. They said to tell you they're sorry they couldn't make it..."

Roxas waves a dismissive hand. "No big deal; shit happens. You're staying, right?"

I could swear Naminé's eyes flash with jealousy for a second, but I'm probably imagining things.

"Yeah, but I've got to go get a new bathing suit at the mall..." Olette ventures, she makes eye contact with me, and I know she's trying to give Roxas some alone time with his girlfriend too.

"I'll come with you," I say before I can stop myself. I head back to my towel and dry off before introducing myself—wet handshakes are gross.

"I'm Kairi."

"Olette. It's nice to meet you!" Olette shakes my hand with an earnest smile.

"You too," I'm almost surprised at the fact that I really am glad to meet her; I guess her bubbly personality is infectious.

I throw my shorts and tank-top on over my bathing suit, and stuff my book and towel back into my beach bag. "Let's go!"

Looks like I get to have 'girl time' after all...

_*****DMS*****_

Olette is good company.

She's just as talkative as Naminé, albeit a little less intense, and a little less prone to random comments that lead to ten minute rants on a completely unrelated topic. Even though that's one of the things I love about Naminé, it is kind of nice to have a break from the word-vomit.

I dutifully comment on her swimsuit selections as we meander from store to store, until she points something out.

"He's checking you out, you know." Olette giggles, like she's revealing something she shouldn't, but doesn't care enough to bite her tongue.

I look around half-heartedly for my so-called secret admirer, thought I'm not really interested in a relationship right now; at least not one that doesn't pertain to patching things up with Sora.

It's an incredibly shallow way to think, I know, but I can't help myself.

Sora is my universe.

Whether he likes it or not.

I give up on my pseudo-search—I'm not really looking anyway—and look at Olette. "Who? I don't see him."

"Behind us, gorgeous blue eyes, spiky hair—don't look at him!" Olette whispers, harshly.

The brunette's warning comes a little too late, and a little unfair, considering my fixation with Sora, but I can't really expect her to know about that. I catch a flash of spiky hair that's achingly familiar.

_Sora?_

I brush it off, chalking it up to my self-destructive obsession with him and go back to making small talk and pretending to ogle the other attractive specimens of the male gender—but I'm secretly hoping that Sora will make an appearance.

"He's doing it again."

I don't waste any time pretending to look around, but I smile and pretend that I'm interested. "Who is it this time?"

"It's the same guy as last time, spiky hair, over at the food court."

My masochistic tendencies rear their ugly head at the mention of 'spiky hair' and, needless to say, I'm more than a little shocked to see Sora sitting at a table, munching on some fries.

I pinch myself, just to make sure this isn't a dream.

_Ow_.

Nope, not a dream.

"Excuse me," I smile at Olette before slipping away to go talk to Sora.

"Good luck!" Olette calls.

If Sora hears me coming, he doesn't acknowledge it.

"Sora?" I have to check, just to make sure it's him.

His unmistakably-Sora sky blue eyes lock onto mine, and my knees turn to jelly. I sink into the chair across from him under the guise of starting a friendly conversation.

"I thought you had other plans..." I point out. It's not that I'm unhappy to see him, just surprised.

"They fell through." Sora responds pragmatically, swirling a french fry in ketchup with infuriating calm.

"Sorry to hear that..." I tell him, hoping for some kind of friendly acknowledgment, but Sora isn't even looking at me anymore—he's scanning the food court with a hard, serious eye, almost like he's watching for something.

Intuition sparks in my brain, and I realize something that there's a possibility that he followed me here, and I know that should scare me, or creep me out, but it doesn't.

"Why are you following me?" I cut to the chase. No matter how hard he tries to push me away, I've known him for long enough to tell when he's hiding something—even if he has gotten extraordinarily good at doing so over the past three years.

Sora scoffs. "Don't flatter yourself, Grimm. Being in the same place as you at the same time by happenstance does not constitute me following you."

"Oh, really? Then what are you doing here?" I snap back, angry at the fact that he's deliberately dodging my questions, but at the same time, I'm unable to resist asking them.

"Stop acting so fucking entitled, Grimm. What I do as part of my duties as a Wielder is not information you're privy to. Perhaps if you didn't insist on being so childishly petulant, I'd explain myself." Sora replies sharply, almost scolding.

I can't say that I'm offended by the way he's talking to me, but I also know that I don't want him to exploit my emotions for his own selfish pleasure.

"You stop acting so superior! And I'm not being childish! It's a simple question, Sora!" My foot stomps of its own accord, which doesn't help my case at all.

Sora leans back in his chair and smirks. "Sure you're not."

The food court has gone quiet, and I'm painfully aware that most of the patrons are staring at me. I want to blame Sora for making a scene and humiliating me, but there's a part of me that doesn't mind so much, and if I'm being completely honest with myself, _I'm_ the one being loud and disorderly.

"You asshole!" Maybe that's a bit harsh, especially considering the fact that he hasn't actually done anything, but I can't resist the temptation to give him a taste of his own medicine.

With that, I storm out of the mall in an attempt to get my head on straight, completely disregarding the fact that I have absolutely no idea where I'm going.  
Oops.

_*****DMS*****_

When I finally manage to clear my head, the first thing I realize is that I'm utterly, hopelessly lost.

It's not something that would normally cause me to panic-I'm not exactly known for my inborn sense of direction. But, when you couple it with the fact that I seem to have wandered into a particularly bad section of town, people are watching me from the alleyways, and there's a group of shady-looking guys following me, the situation gets a whole lot more alarming.

I clench my hand around the tiny can of pepper spray in my bag and duck into an alley in an attempt to lose my pursuers. It seems like a great idea-until I hit a dead-end.

Then I actually _do_ start to panic, especially when the three guys who've been following me seal off my only exit.

"Hey, girlie," One of the men says; the tone of his voice leaves no doubt in my mind about his intentions.

_Shit..._

I back into the wall, desperately trying to remember something, anything that might save me. A scrap of general self-defense knowledge surfaces, and I almost laugh in relief.

I take a deep breath, preparing myself to scream, but I never get the chance.

There's a dull, metallic _thunk_, and one of the guys drops like a sack of potatoes.

A dark shape appears behind the last two guys and cracks their heads together, sending them both to the ground in a tangled heap.

A cloaked figure steps forward, throwing off its hood to reveal...Sora?

"What the hell were you thinking?" Sora demands, a deadly edge in his voice. "You could have gotten yourself killed!"

My pride bristles at the blow. "I had it under control! I didn't need your help."

Sora glares at me, his eyes fierce, pulsing with tempered violence. "Bullshit."

I cross my arms, defiant, like I don't want him to be my knight-in-shining-armor. "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

Sora just rolls his eyes and steps forward, taking my hand firmly. "Obviously not. Come on."

I allow myself a brief moment of elation at the fact that he's holding my hand-even if it does hurt a little. "Where are we going?" I wonder as Sora leads me to a sleek black sports car. The BMW logo is unmistakeable.

"To your house. You clearly can't be trusted to handle your own safety, so I'm going to do it for you." Sora holds the door open and in climb into the vehicle, feeling slightly ashamed and embarrassed.

"I'm perfectly capable of getting home on my own." I protest, unwilling to have Sora think of me as completely helpless.

"Did I ask your permission?" Sora snaps.

I shut the door, chagrined.

"What would you have done if I hadn't shown up?" Sora demands, peeling away from the curb with a squeal of the tires.

I fumble with my seatbelt.

"That's what I thought. You got lucky tonight Kairi."

I can't help but notice that that's the first time he's used my first name. "Well, maybe if you'd teach me how to defend myself, rather than chastising me for not knowing how, you wouldn't be so uptight all the time." I don't mean for Sora to hear me, but his glare makes it painfully obvious that I need to work on modulating my voice.

His knuckles whiten and the steering wheel creaks. "Fine. I'll teach you. Meet me after school in the gym tomorrow."

"Okay," I'm too thrilled by the prospect of having some one-on-one time with Sora that I don't notice that we've arrived at my house until he shuts off the car. "Thanks for the ride," I tell him, handing him a few dollars for gas as I get out.

Sora closes my hand around my money and leads me to the door. "Keep your money; you don't get off the hook that easily."

Mom opens the door a few seconds after Sora rings the bell, and Sora is suddenly a perfect gentleman.

"Sorry for being so late Mrs. Grimm, Kairi and I ran into each other at the beach, and I lost track of time. It won't happen again." Sora smiles disarmingly and my grip tightens on his hand as I fight the urge to swoon.

_Not in front of mom..._

I wonder briefly why Sora's apologizing,and then I see the clock on the stove-it's almost one in the morning.

_Oh..._

Mom smiles at Sora. "Don't worry about it, Sora. It's nice to see you. What have you been up to all this time?"

"Oh, this and that. Nothing too special. I'd better get going, my parents are going to be worried. It was nice to see you too, Mrs. Grimm. Have a good night." With that, Sora excuses himself. He gives me a baleful glare as he passes. "Goodnight, Kairi."

I step inside, exhausted and ready for bed.

Mom doesn't say much, she just smiles at me-I just wish that what she was smiling about could be real.

But me and Sora in a relationship?

Not in a million years, unless he suddenly decides to start acting civil.

Still, he said goodnight to me...

Is it wrong to count that as progress?

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**~Script**


	6. Bait and Switch

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**Thanks to everyone for your reviews, favorites, and patience, you rock!**

**On with the show!**

_**Chapter VI: Bait and Switch**_

It's almost impossible to focus in school.

Every spare moment I have is dominated by the knowledge that, in a few short hours, I'll be with Sora again—stupid masochism.

Naminé's fingers invade my field of vision as she waves at me, breaking me out of my daze. The motion makes me realize that the lunch line has moved considerably, and the small crowd of people behind me are giving me annoyed looks.

"Hello? Earth to Kairi; anybody home?" Naminé's voice is equal parts teasing and scolding, and the latter part makes me blush.

"Sorry Naminé, I spaced out for a second. What were you saying?"

Naminé puts her hands on her hips and stares me down, and I know that whatever she has to say next is going to be unpleasant.

"What the hell happened to you last night?" Naminé demands quietly, her blue eyes livid. "You just..._disappeared_. We thought something had happened to you!"

I bite my lip as I deliberate on exactly how much to tell her—I really don't feel like having Naminé watching me twenty-four-seven because of last night's incident, and she'd do it too. "I ran into Sora."

From the way her eyes light up, I can immediately tell that I've made a mistake, but it's too late to take it back now. As quickly as it appears, that inborn hunger for gossip is gone and she raises a skeptical eyebrow.

"Really? I thought you guys hated each other..." Naminé's tone is friendly enough, but it has a clear undercurrent of _don't bullshit me_.

"_I _don't hate _him_. And anyway, I think we made a lot of progress last night, he seems to be coming around." I feel a little guilty for lying to her—since I haven't seen Sora all day, there's really no way for me to know if he's 'coming around'.

Naminé nods, satisfied for now, but I can tell by the look on her face that I'm not out of the woods yet by a long shot.

The rest of the lunch period passes with an almost mechanical familiarity.

I stroll into my last class of the day, trying not to grin like an idiot when I see Sora there. I'm still happy to see him—even if he is glaring daggers at me. His expression is unreadable, his blue eyes hooded with tempered fury.

I have to admit: it's tough to concentrate with his eyes boring holes in the back of my head, but I manage to make it though class with a general idea of the material we've covered—and I can always re-read today's chapter later on.

Sora is a blur; he's out the door and gone before I even have time to gather my books. I try to hurry to catch up with him, but it's no use.

I arrive at the gym, like we agreed, but instead of Sora waiting for me, I see Riku seated on the the bleachers, one arm draped across his knee.

I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I can't help but feel a little cheated, something just doesn't feel right.

They say you shouldn't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to, and I don't know whether I _can't _or _won't_ stop myself, but the question comes out all the same:

"Where's Sora?"

Riku shrugs, nonchalant, indifferent even. "He had some things to take care of. Sora said you'd be coming by—I'm supposed to show you a few self-defense moves."

The truth hurts, and this is no exception. The piercing reality of his absence is like a hot knife to the guts, but I force myself to keep it together when I respond: "Oh. Okay, let's get started." I rub my hands together briskly, like I'm eager, and I suppose there's some truth to that, but I'm not nearly as enthusiastic as I'm pretending to be.

Riku cracks his knuckles and stands up, rolling his shoulders like he's getting ready for a workout.

"Okay, first things first: The best offense is a good defense." Riku says slowly, making eye contact so I know it's important.

I raise an eyebrow, more out of confusion than anything else, because I'm pretty sure it's the other way around.

"Yeah. You heard right." Riku nods, and I remember why he was always the voice of reason whenever we were tempted to do stupid things as kids. "Unless you have the proper training, the only thing you're going to accomplish by making the first move is getting your ass kicked. So, until you have the right skill set, the best defense is to avoid fighting at all."

I nod, filing the information away for future use. It's good advice, even if it's not the nitty-gritty, knuckle-busting, beat-the-shit-out-of-you, kind of information I'm waiting for—especially considering the fact that the only real self-defense items I own are a can of pepper spray and a rape whistle.

"But, if you _have _to fight, you need to know a few things. No offense Kairi, but pretty much anyone who you run into is going to be bigger and stronger than you." Riku smiles a little to soften the blow.

I smile back and nod, because I know it's the truth. The only person who's even remotely close to me in size is Naminé, and Riku's even taller than Sora.

"First, go for weak spots. The eyes, nose, neck, groin, and knees are the most vulnerable points to attack if you need a quick get away. There are pressure points you can use if someone grabs you..." Riku grips me gently from behind, and I try not to think about how much I wish it was Sora holding me and not him.

"Stepping on their foot and then following up with an elbow to the ribs usually works best. Or, you could lean forward, and try for an elbow to the throat or the head, but that only works if the person attacking you is close to your size." Another shrug, another apologetic smile.

I'm starting to miss Sora's bluntness, which surprises me. "Okay." It doesn't take long for my mind to make the jump from Sora's bluntness to the dreams I've been having about him. I wonder if Riku knows anything about them...

Riku lets me practice a few moves with him.

I can tell he's holding back, that he's pulling his punches, deliberately not acting on openings I _know _I must be leaving him, and to be honest, it's a little irritating. As much as I would prefer not to have my teeth kicked in, I'd rather learn from mistakes while I have the chance.

"You're holding back." The words come out more accusatory than I mean it to, and Riku's eyebrow arches.

"I have to. You're not focusing." Riku responds. "What's wrong? You seemed so gung-ho a couple minutes ago..."

"It's nothing." I reply, turning away from Riku so he can't see the blush ravaging my face.

"Kairi..." Riku's voice is stern, like Naminé's when she catches me in a lie, and I can't help but answer him.

"I've been having these weird dreams lately...About the island we used to play on. Sora and I are such good friends in the dreams, but then...In the real world he hates my guts."

Riku reaches out to muss my hair like I'm a child, and if I were a little more vain, that would probably bother me.

But I'm not, so it doesn't.

"Sorry Kairi. I know he can be kind of a jackass sometimes, but he'll come around."

I nod, hopeful and step away from Riku to step into my ready pose.

I back into something solid, and I turn around to see Sora standing behind me. I blush and look at the floor—I seem to be doing that a lot lately—before mumbling an apology.

"Look at me when you talk." Sora snaps, the sharp bite in his voice forces me to comply with his request.

"Sorry." I say again, blushing even harder.

"How is she doing?" Sora asks, his tone softer, and I know he's not talking to me.

"She's doing very well." Riku answers.

Sora's icy blue gaze locks onto me. "Show me what you learned today."

My heart drops into my stomach and I get this horrible feeling that today was all a test, and that I failed miserably. "O-okay."

As soon as Sora touches me, my mind immediately goes blank, and I can't remember anything that Riku has told me in the past hour.

All I can think about is: _Sora's touching me!_

Even if there is a tempered violence in his grip, the rigid, uncompromising restraint in his stare tells me that he won't hurt me...I hope.

"Well?" Sora's sharp voice brings me back to the present as he traps my neck in the crook of his elbow.

_Instep. Short ribs. Shoulder throw._ I manage to recall the proper sequence of moves.

My foot scrapes down Sora's shin to crunch against the top of his foot, but when I try to drive my elbow into his ribs, he corkscrews my arm.

My right shoulder is on fire, but I don't even have time to cry out in pain before he lets go, but his ankle-sweep sends me to the ground. I land hard on my backside and the breath leaves me in a rush.

_Ow._

As much as it hurts, I'm glad that Sora didn't hold back.

"We're done for the day." Sora's voice is cold, with a hint of disappointment.

I'm crushed. If Sora would give me a chance, I could show him that I'm not as helpless as he thinks. "But..."

"I said we're done for the day, Grimm. Don't fucking test me." Sora pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. "If you're really serious about this, come back to the gym tomorrow morning for another session."

"Will you be there?" I can't stop the question from exiting my mouth, and if I didn't sound so pathetic, I wouldn't be nearly as embarrassed. I feel like a child who's learning to do something new, and constantly wants their Mom or Dad to watch them and give them approval.

Sora glares at me for a moment, and I flinch at the intensity of it. "Yes."

I nod. "Okay. See you tomorrow. Thanks for the help Riku!" I smile at Riku and mean it as I wave to both of them on my way out.

"No problem." Riku responds.

Sora points to the door. "Get out."

I hurry for the exit to avoid upsetting him further, but I'm to excited about tomorrow's session for his words to have their usual bite.

The door to the gym clicks shut behind me, and the pain in my shoulder flares back to life. I rummage through my purse for some painkillers. And that's when it hits me:

_What have I gotten myself into_?

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**~Script**


	7. Brave Bondage

**Disclaimer: No, I really don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/followed this story so far, I really appreciate your support! Also, I'd like to apologize for the wait—I've been working through some writer's block...**

**On with the show!**

_**Chapter VII: Brave Bondage**_

Although I can't bring myself to regret my insistence that Sora give me another chance, that doesn't make me any less nervous when it comes time to begin my next session.

Riku's advice from yesterday rattles around in my skull—my brain is too busy trying to focus on everything at once to make use of it.

"You want to slow down, Kai?" Naminé huffs behind me.

I take another sip of coffee, I can't remember if it's my third or fourth cup, and turn around to face her. I give myself a mental pat-on-the-back when I manage to walk backwards without tripping over my own feet.

"Huh?" My mind and brain are doing a million miles an hour—though whether that's from nerves or the caffeine, I can't say.

Naminé takes the coffee from me, nimbly moving it out of my reach when I grab for it. "Kairi, _relax_."

I know I should—but I can't.

Sora's going to be there today, and this might be my one chance at _really_ getting through to him. I mean, he's obviously had some intensive training to have the reflexes and battle prowess—if his midnight rescue of me is any indication—that he does, so maybe if I do well, I can impress him.

It's a pathetic way of thinking to be sure, but at least it gives me hope.

"I don't know what you're talking about; I'm perfectly fine." The words come out in a caffeine-induced jumble, and I know from the way Naminé's eyebrows dip that she's seen through my pretense.

"I don't know what you're so worked up about—it's really not that big a deal..." Naminé switches the coffee to her other hand, and I can feel my lips working themselves into a frown.

"Give that back!" I try not to whine, but my effort crashes and burns in the face of the possibility that I might nod get my third—fourth?—dose of caffeine and be as alert as humanly possible for my training session.

"Nope," Naminé pops the 'p'.

"But Sora's going to be there. If I do a good job, he might actually _speak_ to me!"

Naminé pauses mid-step, and I wonder if I've upset her or misspoken somehow. Her eyebrow quirks upward. "That doesn't seem like Sora...he's usually a pretty nice guy. I'm sure he has his reasons for not speaking to you...especially since you used to be such good friends."

Her words are like being stabbed—so it's just _me_ that he hates...everyone else is perfectly normal in his book.

_What did I do?_

"Maybe he likes you..." Naminé's grin says she's not exactly kidding, but I can't bring myself to believe that—if you like someone, you're supposed to be nice to them.

"I don't think so...Sora sure as hell doesn't act like it..."

Naminé shrugs. "You never know...Guys are awkward around girls they like."

_Riku and Roxas aren't._ I bite my tongue to keep from voicing my thoughts. "Maybe..." I hope she'll drop it—I really don't want to keep talking about this any longer than necessary.

I back into something, which isn't exactly surprising since I'm not really paying attention to where I'm going.

"Sorry!" My apology is as reflexive as breathing—I run into people all the time. Literally.

"No worries." Yuffie replies. "Are you all set for your next session?"

It's irritating, how my friends always seem to know _exactly_ what I _don't_ want to talk about and then proceed to have an unnecessarily long conversation on the subject.

"I think so..."

Yuffie grins and socks my arm playfully. "I'm sure you'll be fine. The test is a piece of cake."

_Ow_. I resist the urge to rub my shoulder and take a moment to process Yuffie's words. "Wait—test?"

Yuffie has this deer-in-the-headlights look on her face, and from the way Naminé's glaring at her, I feel a little left out of the loop.

"It's just a skills assessment, really." Yuffie shrugs—but coming from a master of martial arts, Yuffie's words don't inspire a whole lot of confidence.

"Don't worry about it, Kairi, it's _not a test_." Naminé grits out the last part and I get the sense that she's reassuring me and reprimanding Yuffie for her slip-up in the same sentence.

Which means it _is_ a test.

Crap.

I want to cry.

I want to scream.

I want to throw-up.

My body decides that it's going to do all three at once, and then I'm crying, and my scream turns into something desperate that sounds like '_excuse me!'_ and then I'm giving up my lunch into the nearest trash can.

Gross. The only thing that makes this even remotely less mortifying is the fact that the student body has gone home for the day.

Naminé holds back my hair, and Yuffie pats my back, but neither of those things makes me feel any better.

My mouth tastes like puke mixed with coffee, so I rinse my mouth out at the water fountain and pop a stick of gum into my mouth to get rid of the taste.

"Are you okay?" Yuffie asks.

I snatch my coffee from Naminé while she isn't looking and down the rest of it in one gulp. "Never better." I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and chuck the empty cup into the garbage. "Let's do this."

_*****13*****_

Sora's mouth is twisted in a grim scowl, his face unreadable as I take my place at the center of the gymnasium.

"Alright, you can start whenever you're ready." It's Riku who says this—his easy smile helps me relax a little.

My heart rockets into my throat when Sora slips off the bleachers in one lithe movement. He unzips his sweatshirt and I immediately wish he hadn't—the sinewy cords of muscle in his arms make it exceedingly difficult to drum up the anger I need to fend him off.

I fumble my way into the classic 'ready position', but the way Sora's looking at me like I'm easy prey completely demolishes my confidence; not that I had much to begin with...

Sora's blue eyes burn with a kind of tempered violence that's extremely unsettling to see—if it was any other guy's eyes scanning me the way his are, I'd think they were checking me out, but the ferocity in Sora's glare tells me in no uncertain terms that he's analyzing my weaknesses.

He moves and I react out of instinct more than anything and block the chop to my throat. Somehow, I manage to swat away the knee that's barreling toward my ribs.

Sora's attacks pick up speed and he gets past my guard with an elbow and a palm-heel; both blows slam into my stomach with enough force that I'm glad it's already empty.

The breath explodes out of me, and only a reflexive block saves my nose from getting broken,

"Focus, Kairi." Naminé calls.

I want to yell at her for distracting me, but I can't get distracted now.

_Remember: the best offense is a good defense._ Riku's advice from yesterday swims to the surface of my consciousness, but my lapse in focus earns me a blow to the inside of my knee. Something in the joint goes _pop_, and my leg gives way under the blow.

_Ow, ow, ow!_

It's more luck than skill that lets me fend off Sora's next two strikes—gods he's fast—but then he slips around my clumsy counter-kick, and takes my legs out from under me.

I hit the floor hard, sucking air like a dying fish as I try to come to grips with the fact that my latest effort at making a real connection with Sora is quickly slipping though my fingers.

I can't look at him; can't bear to see the look of disgusted disappointment I _know_ must be on his face.

"Get up." Sora snaps, and I've barely gotten my feet under me before he's issuing another order. "Come with me." His hand wraps around my upper arm like I'm a child to him or something and he all but drags me from the room.

Once we're outside, alone in the hallway, Sora starts pacing like a caged animal. His hand rakes through his hair and he turns to me, conflicted, like he doesn't know whether he should be angry or impressed.

"Do you want to be a Wielder?" Sora asks after a long, uncomfortable silence.

"Huh?" I have to make sure my ears aren't playing tricks on me. I don't know if I can handle it if this is a lie too...

Sora looks at me like: _I don't speak dumbass_, like: _Maybe this is a mistake..._

And then he says it again, slowly, so there's no possible way for me to misunderstand him. "Do. You. Want. To. Be. A. Wielder?"

"Yes." I answer automatically, not quite able to believe what I'm hearing.

"Fine. Then you'll follow my commands explicitly, without question, and without hesitation." He pauses and hands my phone back to me. "You will come when I call you I don't care if you're in bed, in the shower, or at your great Aunt Edith's funeral, and you will always answer the phone by the third ring."

I find myself nodding along with his demands, and I try not to think about that little part of me that isn't exactly opposed to being ordered around by him. "What if I'm in class?" I have to ask—I'm not really too keen on tarnishing my 'good girl' reputation.

Sora nods. "I'll take care of that. And one more thing—until you've passed your Mark of Mastery exam, you are not to refer to me by name during any activity that pertains to your training. Is that clear?"

Instant acceptance. "Yes..."

Sora looks at me like he's waiting for something, and then I realize that I've forgotten his title.

'Sir' makes him seem like an old man. 'Teacher' seems like it doesn't quite encompass the scope of what he's trying to do.

And then it hits me—the perfect word. "Master." My heart skips a beat when the word passes my lips, and my heart drops into my stomach. There just something so..._binding _about that expression. But, I can't bring myself to regret my choice of words.

Sora's lip curls upward into the ghost of a smile, and then he motions at the door.

Roxas and Riku exit then, and the four of us head down the hallway to the strange door with the three circles on it.

"Where are we going Sor-?" I begin, but the way Sora tenses makes me catch myself before I slip. "Master?"

Riku arches an eyebrow, and Roxas looks at me sideways, but neither of them say anything.

"You're getting sworn in." Sora responds and then we're headed down into the room.

The room at the bottom of the stairs is well lit and industrial-looking—almost every surface is matte silver and stainless-steel. There's a small, auxiliary-gym type room with a weight bench, treadmill and a combat mannequin that's seen better days.

There's also a sizeable display of keychains on a dais in the center of the room, some car keys hanging on the wall, a small wardrobe, and a massive computer along the back wall.

It's a pretty impressive setup.

Sora reaches down and takes a rugged black cylinder with a keyring on the end of it from beside the dais and then he hooks a keychain that looks identical to the symbol on the door to the end of it.

There's a flash, and then he's holding a key-shaped sword that looks very sharp and very dangerous.

Riku and Roxas follow Sora's lead, although their weapons are considerably more ornate, and Roxas has two of them.

"This is a Keyblade." Sora explains. "This is not only our weapon of choice, but it is a symbol of our cause: the defense of those who cannot protect themselves. It is earned, not given. And, if you wish to earn the right to wield your own weapon, you must take the Wielder's Oath."

I nod.

"Kneel, and repeat after me:" Sora instructs gravely.

I obey immediately, focused on his words.

"_I, Kairi Grimm, do solemnly swear-_"

I take a breath at the realization that there's no going back after this. I can't take back something this serious. "I, Kairi Grimm, do solemly swear,"

Sora's eyes bore into me, like he's searching my soul for the slightest hint of dishonesty. _"To_ _deliver the weak;"_

"To deliver the weak."

"_To combat tyranny in all its forms;"_

"To combat tyranny in all its forms." The more I listen, the more I realize how serious this oath is.

"_To be fearless in the face of death;_"

"To be fearless in the face of death." I'm a little nervous at that, but I'm determined not to show any weakness.

"_And above all, to wield the Keyblade in defense of peace and justice as long as I am able._"

I repeat the last line, and Sora touches my shoulder gently with his Keyblade—I can't help but be surprised by the weight of it.

Sora's severe expression doesn't waver when he hands me a heavy wooden staff. "'Earned, not given. Until such a time as you earn your weapon, you'll be training with this."

Another nod. "Yes, Master."

"Rise. That will be all. You are dismissed." Sora says, not unkindly. "Training begins tomorrow morning at six a.m."

I curtsy, because I feel like that's what I'm supposed to do. "Yes, Master." I rest the heavy staff on my shoulder and head back up the stairs.

"Don't be late." Sora adds.

"I won't be." I reply, hoping I'm telling the truth. I'm elated at the prospect of becoming a Wielder, but that won't make getting out of bed tomorrow any easier.

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	8. The Gauntlet

**Disclaimer: No. I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Never have, probably never will.**

_**Chapter VIII: The Gauntlet**_

The unholy shrieking of my bedside alarm clock drags me from my deep and dreamless slumber entirely too early. I roll off the bed, biting my lip when I hit the floor.

Ow.

I take the first clothes my hands touch into the bathroom with me, and then step into a freezing-cold shower. At first, the temperature shock jolts me to a more wakeful state, and then my body remembers what time it is and after that it's just miserable.

Shivering and soaked, I drag the brush though my hair and scrub my face, wiping the toothpaste foam from around my mouth.

I lurch into the kitchen, stuck in the strange purgatory between alert and inert, and then crunch into a half-ready Toaster Strudel, too impatient and hungry to wait for the toaster to declare my food ready. I end up trying not to gag on the gelatinous ooze that bursts from the mushy shell.

I manage to choke down the undercooked pastry, and I barely have enough time to run the brush over my teeth again before throwing my hair in a messy ponytail and running out the door.

The walk to school is infinitely creepier and more difficult at half-past five in the morning, when most people are still asleep. The sidewalk—perilous and unsafe in the light of day—pitches and rolls under my feet, the result of too little sleep and not enough breakfast. My knee pops and twinges painfully with every step—it's more like a hobble, really—there's a grating quality to the motion that's more than a little unsettling.

It's 5:59 when I finally manage to drag myself into the Wielder's training facility—Sora, Riku, and Roxas are all there, with the kind of bright-eyed alertness that only comes with routinely waking up at the crack of dawn.

"Morning," I stifle a yawn and force myself to stand up straight, even though I'm exhausted and my knee is killing me.

"Yo," Riku waves, aiming a half-cocked grin in my direction.

"'Sup?" Roxas points at me.

Sora's eyes flash and his eyebrows dip ever-so-slightly, like he's expecting something.

And then I remember: "Master," I drop into a kneeling position, biting my lip to keep from crying out when my knee slams into the floor.

"Rise." Sora replies.

I get slowly, painfully, to my feet.

"What's wrong?" Riku asks, concerned.

"It's nothing," I tell him, lying through my teeth.

"Do not lie." Sora almost snarls, his intense gaze makes me feel like a scolded child.

"My knee's just a little sore, that's all." I amend, staring at the floor. "I didn't think it was that big a-"

"Look at me when you talk." Sora interrupts.

I raise my eyes to his, annoyed and embarrassed, my face burning, and then I almost forget how to finish a sentence when my eyes lock onto his. "Deal."

Stupid Sora.

Stupid masochistic, self-destructive impulses.

Sora folds his arms over his chest, his face a hard mask. "It might not be a big deal to you, but it is to the rest of us. You're in training, Grimm, so I'll let it slide this time. We're Wielders—we're the best of the best, the ones they call when the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and the Black Ops teams can't handle shit. We don't get back-up; there's no one to come and save our asses if shit goes wrong. We need to watch each other's backs, and that means we need to know if you're not at a hundred percent. Is

that clear?"

"Yes, Master." I can't bring myself to really be angry at him. After all, he does have a point.

"Come with me," Sora leads me into the auxilliary gym and opens a mini-fridge. He tosses me a small bottle of greenish liquid. "Drink that."

The smell that wafts up from the opening when I unscrew the cap turns my stomach—and my prayers that whatever-this-is will taste better than it smells go unanswered.

"That's awful!" I choke out, once the burning in my throat subsides.

Sora shrugs like: _get over it._ "It'll help with your knee." There's something in his voice that I can't quite place; it sounds like remorse, but I can't be sure.

"Thank you...Master." I respond, because it feels like the right thing to do. Despite the horrible taste, my knee is already starting to feel better.

Sora nods once, trying to be polite but not quite getting there. "Come on,"

I follow Sora through a door in the back of the gym; the wooden panel swings wide to reveal an elaborate, grueling obstacle course—the kind that makes the military's Basic Training course look like a jungle-gym.

"You will complete the course in under one minute, thirty seconds." Sora instructs, leaving no room for argument, and I have to wonder if he's completely sane—the massive pendulums that intersect the balance beam, are incredibly intimidating, not to mention the walls that change heights at regular intervals.

And, as if that wasn't enough, there's football-field sized stretch of space at the end, where dodgeballs rocket across the expanse, preceeded by the threatening _whumps_ of hydraulic cannon fire.

The whole course is suspended over a massive swimming pool, so at least falling won't hurt too badly...I hope.

Honestly, the whole thing reminds me of an _ American Ninja_ finale course.

Sora takes off at a dead sprint, leaping gracefully between the walls, his movements lithe and sinuous as he takes to the balance beam. He traverses the narrow beam with ease, and though I can't tell whether it's for flamboyancy or necessity's sake, Sora back-handsprings over the alternating walls, sliding smoothly on his knees under the last one, and then he's off like a shot over the dodgeball field, slipping between the projectiles with an almost precognitive efficiency.

He doesn't even look like he's broken a sweat when he alights on the platform on the far side, and I can't help but recall Yuffie's admission that Sora trains harder than anyone else.

_Crap._ Sora's looking at me now, all expectant and impatient, and my teeth are sawing into my lip.

There's so much motion in the obstacle course that it's impossible to time it right just by looking at it—and maybe that's part of the challenge. I take a deep breath and go for it.

Hopping between the walls is harder than it looks; it's more about momentum than skill, and I barely have enough speed to catch the lip of the next platform.

In the same instant, I remember that I'm being timed and I take off running again, windmilling and flailing and tripping across the balance beam, miraculously managing to avoid getting hit by the pendulums.

I have to wait for the alternating walls to reach the floor before vaulting over them—my face burns with shame at how shabby my performance is compared to Sora's.

The dodgeball field is a complete disaster, I'm getting whaled on left and right, my vision flashing when I get beamed in the head by one of the projectiles.

_Ow._

That's gonna leave a mark.

Finally, I stumble onto the platform at the end of the course. My kneeling position owes as much to respect and necessity as to the fact that my legs simply refuse to hold me up any longer.

My whole body is one gigantic bruise, throbbing in time with my racing heart.

Ow.

Ow.

Ow.

"That was pathetic." Sora says after a long pause.

"I'm sorry Master. If I could just try again..." I say. I don't have another run in me, not by a long shot, but I'll give it a shot if he lets me.

Because it's for him.

Because if he gives me another chance, then maybe there's some small chance of rebuilding our relationship.

I really do miss having him around.

"Forget it, Grimm. We're done for the day."

I know it isn't in my best interests to argue with him, but I can't let this go without a fight. "If you'd just let me give it another try-"

"I said: 'we're done.' What part of that was unclear to you?" Sora's tone is hard and final, anger flickers in his eyes.

"I'm sorry Master. Forgive me."

Sora nods. "You're dismissed. Training resumes tomorrow morning, at the same time." And then he walks away.

The door closes before my failure really sinks in, and at least then there's no one around to see me cry.

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	9. The Dauntless Dreamer

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**As always, thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited this story! Your support is much appreciated!**

**This is mostly a flashback chapter, but hopefully it clears up some issues as far as Kairi's amnesia and backstory is concerned.**

**On with the show!**

_**Chapter IX: The Dauntless Dreamer**_

_They're everywhere._

_ Horrible, twisted creatures with glowing yellow eyes and, jagged, screeching mouths._

_ The torrential downpour, accompanied by peals of thunder, and slashes of lightning, makes the creatures seem that much more intimidating as they close in on us; Sora and Riku are ferociously relentless in their defense of me, wielding ornate swords from nowhere._

_ Their defense is impenetrable—years of sparring together has made them acutely aware of each others strengths and weaknesses, and they compensate for them so flawlessly, their cooperation is so cohesive, that their movements seem almost precognitive._

_ Their strikes are hard and fast, swinging for the fences in a lethal dance of blade and pitch-black smoke; they flicker in and out of sight like otherworldly guardians, fierce and unwavering._

_ They are a swift, powerful, and brutally efficient war machine, and for that I'm thankful._

_ I don't have the physical prowess or the endurance that Sora and Riku do—that is a direct product of constantly competing with each other._

_ But even though they've been competing with each other for years, their stamina is not without limits._

_ They're bleeding from at least a dozen wounds each, and Sora is favoring one leg more than the other._

_ Sora's face is still a mask of grimly unwavering determination, but Riku starting to fade._

_ My heart is in my throat, and I realize the stupidity of coming to the island alone—no one knows we're out here. If something happens to us..._

_ No._

_ I won't think about that._

_ I can't._

_ The explosive staccato bursts of gunfire are so woefully out of place that it takes me a moment to realize what they are. I throw myself down on the sand, screwing my eyes shut; the horrible gritty taste of it makes me want to gag._

_ When I open my eyes again, Sora and Riku are on their knees, covered in sweat, exhausted._

_ A forest of camouflaged legs surrounds us, and a rough hand hauls me off the ground and I spit some sand out of my mouth._

_ "You kids okay?" someone says._

_ I look toward the source of the voice—it's a man clad in army fatigues, followed by a cadre soldiers. I'm tired, so very, very, tired that I can barely summon the strength to nod._

_ Sora and Riku both grunt in what sounds like an affirmation._

_ "We're here to evacuate you. Destiny Islands is under attack by some sort of creatures, and the mayor has declared that the city be evacuated immediately."_

_ Another nod. _

This isn't happening. It's not real. This is just some horrible nightmare. _I tell myself, but I know __it's not true._

_ "No shit, Sherlock." Riku quips, and I have to stifle a giggle, despite the horrible situation we're in._

_ Sora pushes himself to his feet, staggering as his wounded leg takes his weight. "Take her first."_

_ "No can do, kid. You're injured; protocol says-"_

_ Sora lurches forward, even thought the motion must be painful, his eyes burn with a visceral, knife-edged wrath; a grim, relentless determination so intense that the soldier takes a step._

_ Sora seizes the soldier's collar, his white teeth flashing in the moonlight as his mysterious blade finds the man's throat. "Fuck protocol. Take her first, or so help me gods, I'll cut my way through each and every one of you and take her myself." _

_ The soldier swallows hard and nods, visibly shaken._

_ For a moment, I'm appalled at Sora's language—all of our parents would be furious if they could hear him now._

_ And then, I'm overcome by the knowledge that _Sora_ is _fighting_ for me, in a way that no one's ever done before. _

_ Butterflies explode in my stomach, and I feel nauseous and wonderful; sick and thrilled; awful and fantastic, and I think that maybe, if we were alone, I would kiss him._

_ But I can't. _

_ Not here._

_ Not like this._

_ And before I even have a chance to say 'thank you' or hug him, the soldiers are dragging me away. _

_ Sora's eyes meet mine, and there's a sort of profound tenderness there. It's raw, primal, the kind of soul-bearing vulnerability that most people never have the guts to show. It's beautiful and different, and hit strikes a chord in me that no one has ever been able to touch before, not even my mother._

_ And then, tears are welling in my eyes, stinging and smarting, and spilling down my cheeks, blurring my vision in tandem with the rainwater. I wipe them frantically from my eyes, just in time to see Sora mouth._

_ "I'll come for you Kairi. Always. Let me know when you're safe."_

_ "Okay," I mouth back._

_*****DMS*****_

_We've been walking for a long time, long enough that my legs start to protest at the relentless pace of the soldiers._

_ I can't really blame them though; they're soldiers—I'm just a fourteen year old kid who doesn't exercise anymore than her P.E class every other day at school demands._

_ "Can we...just rest...for a minute?" I gasp before I can help myself._

_ "We're almost there." the soldier in the lead—the one Sora threatened—grunts, and I can't help but wonder if he's taking his frustration with Sora out on me._

_ Out of nowhere, the creatures descend on us with piercing, ululating cries that stab at my eardrums. They make quick work of the soldiers, and before I even have time to shout for help, before I even have time to be shocked at the sight of the soldiers' mangled bodies, they're on me, clawing and scratching and biting and screeching._

_ I hit the ground hard and my breath goes _oof,_ and then I'm lost under their flailing claws._

_ Ripping._

_ Tearing._

_ Shredding._

_ Blood spills onto the sand, mixing with the rain, turning the fine rock particles into a muddy paste._

_ My consciousness is slipping away, but I have just enough time to shout for help a final time_

_ And then, I'm out._

_*****DMS*****_

I wake up with a start, clutching my bedsheets as my heart hammers a fearful tattoo against the back of my ribcage—I can barely manage to restrain myself from smashing the alarm clock as it screeches out its unwelcome wail.

My breath comes in short, sharp, painful gasps; my t-shirt clings to me, sticky with sweat.

_Gross..._

The inescapable dread from a few moments ago loosens its death-grip on my heart, and in that moment I want nothing more than to wash the grime and the memories from my body.

I force myself up out of the bed and step into the shower, tracing the thin, pink ribbons of scar tissue that crisscross my back in savage lines.

They've healed well over the years, but they'll never go away.

Just like the memories.

Some wounds never heal.

I shake my head, jarring myself back to the here and now, and step into the freezing cold shower in the hopes that the frigid torrent pouring from the showerhead will help me wake up.

It doesn't help—it's just cold and wretched.

I get out of the shower and drag the comb through my hair, brush my teeth, and get dressed. A quick glance in the mirror reveals that the brutal dodgeball blow from yesterday hasn't done any noticeable damage to my face.

I actually have time to eat a decent breakfast this morning—a banana, some yogurt, and a Cliff bar—as opposed to a half-baked Toaster Strudel.

Whatever Sora gave me yesterday definitely helped my knee—unfortunately, the walk is no less creepy.

I arrive at the training facility with a few minutes to spare. Roxas is munching on a bagel, and Riku's leaning against a folding table, nursing a coffee.

"'Sup, probee?" Roxas' impish grin is slightly more amusing, considering that he has cream cheese smeared around his mouth.

"Hey, Roxas. You have um..." I dab at my mouth with the back of my hand and Roxas seems to get the message, because he reddens and whirls to grab a napkin.

Riku grins and chuckles into his coffee cup as he takes a sip. He pours another mug and nods to me. "Morning, Kairi. How do you take your coffee?"

I try keep my mind from wandering at the question, to keep it from straying to thoughts of Sora, and I succeed, but only just. "One cream and one sugar."

Riku nods and dumps the ingredients into the mug, stirring it with one of those little plastic thingys before handing it to me.

"Thanks." I tell him, trying not to chug the thing, but I'm going to need all the energy I can get if I'm going to have even the ghost of a chance at passing that obstacle course today.

No sooner have I finished the last dregs, than Sora breezes into the room fingers laced behind his head of wild spikes, the picture of his old self—the one with out the curt, unyielding mannerisms, the relentlessly demanding expectations, and the ruthless, uncompromising will.

I try to freeze this moment in my memory, to immortalize the _real_ Sora in my memory before the mask comes down, and his inflexible, unappeasable ethics become fetters of will that imprison his true colors.

Who said poetry was dead?

Sora's hard glare catches mine, and in that instant, his body stiffens into a rigid line of restraint, his eyes narrow into spiteful slits.

Despite his malicious glare, my heart rockets into my throat and my stomach churns at the sight of him. My face burns so fiercely, so intensely, that I'm sure he can feel the heat coming off it.

"Guys," His greeting is stiff, perfunctory.

"Yo." Roxas' standard greeting fits right in with Sora's short, to-the-point salutation.

"'Sup." Riku nods once, somberly, and I can see little bits of Sora in both of them—his unwavering resolve, his sheer force of will, his refusal to admit defeat—and it scares me a little.

And then, their expressions soften, and I feel a little more at ease.

But only a little.

I sink into a kneeling position to hide my ferocious blush from Riku and Roxas, but mostly to acknowledge Sora's presence.. "Master,"

"Grimm. Rise. We have work to do." Sora's tone is barely this side of derisive, his lips pressed together in a hard line.

I nod. It's reflex now, more out of sheer desperation to appease him than anything else. _I will not waste this chance._ "Yes, Master." I follow him back to the obstacle course.

Sora repeats his stellar performance from yesterday, and stares me down from the opposite end of the course.

The sheer pressure of the task before me turns my guts to lead.

I fight back the panic threatening to immobilize me and choke down the bile rising in my throat.

I will succeed.

I _must_.

Because if I don't, if Sora decides that I'm not worthy...

I can't bring myself to consider the consequences of that reality.

I don't know whether it's from stress, or nerves or some strange Wielder-exclusive precognition, but time seems to slow down, and I can see each fluid motion of the pieces in the course in agonizing detail. Despite the wheeling and spinning and hurtling, it's all clockwork, smoke, and mirrors.

Difficult, but not impossible.

Sora raises his hand. _Ready._

His eyes narrow. _Set._

And then his hand falls. _Go!_

I don't think, there isn't time for that, I just hurl myself across the starting line, moving without conscious thought.

My limbs obey me with an iron purpose as I strain in a singular endeavor toward my goal: the finish line.

As I take to the balance beam, smooth and efficient, it hits me.

In this raw and unforgiving trial, will and determination translate into reality as simply as flipping a switch, and even though I know that it's more from dumb luck than skill, I make it to the finish line unscathed.

Panting, exhausted and sweaty, I collapse into a kneeling position on the finishing platform and wait for Sora's appraisal.

Sora nods grimly. "Well, done."

That's high praise coming from him, and I let myself smile just a little. "Thank you, Master."

Sora gives no indication that he's heard me. "Rise. Now do it backwards."

I swallow hard and force my unwilling legs to bear my weight as I turn to face the course once more.

Sora may have given me the chance to become part of his exclusive cadre of elite guardians, but he never said it would be easy.

He's leaning in now, his lips brushing the shell of my ear as he whispers, sending a hot, furious thrill of desire ripping through my veins.

"On your mark."

Sora's hot breath tickles my skin.

"Get set."

I have to force myself to focus now, to remember his mantra.

_Earned, not given._

I plant my feet and square my shoulders.

"Go!"

**Like it? Hate it? Review!**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Script**


	10. Reckless In Radiant Garden

**Disclaimer: If you don't know that I don't own Kingdom Hearts by now, shame on you.**

**As always, thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed/favorited this story! You guys are incredible!**

**I've been working on some plot details over the past couple of weeks, and I've been fleshing some things out a little more, so the chapters should be getting a little longer.**

**On with the show!**

_**Chapter X: Reckless in Radiant Garden**_

I'm beginning to see where Sora's battle prowess comes from.

His training routines are relentless and punishing, and the margin he allows for error is almost nonexistent. If anything, they've gotten even _more_ intense over the past few weeks that I've been training.

My lungs are burning, my breath scrapes against the back of my throat and the thick, coppery tang of blood rolls over my tongue. My vision's starting to go fuzzy at the edges, and I know it's about time for me to call it quits, but I won't.

Not until Sora tells me to.

Even if it kills me...Which, in all honesty, is starting to look like a more and more viable possibility with each passing minute.

Stupid masochism...

This is the fifth time in as many minutes that I've run the obstacle course today, and coupled with the fact that I've already run three miles and done more weight training this afternoon than I have in my last three years of gym class, and I can see how a daily routine like this would give someone the reflexes and reaction times that Sora has.

The fact that he's scrutinizing my every move from the sidelines makes staying focused so much more difficult. The hard, grim set of his jaw betrays nothing of his feelings, and his eyes are steely and calculating.

I stumble onto the platform at the end of the course, panting and sweating and wishing I'd had some type of regular exercise routine before all this started—it certainly would have helped. I look over at Sora as he moves away from the wall he's been leaning on.

I collapse more than settle into a kneeling position—my entire body feels like it's made of rubber. My head is swimming, I'm nauseous, and I'm _really_ hoping that I don't have to run the course again.

"You need to be faster," Sora says, and even though I'm not expecting high praise or anything, my heart sinks a little. "But, you've improved considerably since the first time you ran the course." he continues.

A huge grin splits my face in half, but I quickly wrangle it in before Sora sees it. "Yes, Master. Thank you."

"Rise." Sora instructs. He opens his mouth to say something, but then his cell phone gives three short, sharp chimes, cutting him off.

The second he flips the screen open, his face becomes a mask of grim determination and ruthless energy. "I have to go." he says curtly. "You're dismissed for the day."

"What's going on?" I ask. "Master?" I've almost forgotten the honorific, and if it upsets Sora, he doesn't show it.

"There's an emergency I have to go deal with. I'll be back." Sora says.

My heart lurches, and somehow, I know he's going there to fight those..._things_ from my nightmares. Worry settles like a rock in my guts, and even though I know he can handle himself, I don't know what I would do if something happened to him.

I'm not sure whether to chalk my impulse to speak up to foolishness, or my masochistic desire to be close to Sora when he clearly wants nothing to do with me, but:

"Let me come with you, Master." passes my lips before I have time to think about what I'm saying.

Sora rounds on me then, his eyes flashing. "No." his lips press together in a hard , unwavering line. "Absolutely not."

"But-" I try to come up with some reason, _any_ reason that it would be beneficial to bring me along, but before I have the chance to invent some last-minute excuse, Sora cuts me off.

"But nothing." Sora snaps.

"Master," I'm pleading now, and I can't bring myself to care about how pathetic I sound. If I could just have a chance to show Sora how good I am, maybe he'd see that we have something in common, and we could build our relationship from there. Heaven knows it's better than having him treat me like a pariah all the time.

"Dammit, Kairi!" Sora's hand slices through the air and I settle into a defensive position out of reflex.

Just for a moment, there's a flash of something like approval in Sora's eyes, but it's gone before I can be sure it was even there in the first place.

"Do you honestly think that a few times through this obstacle course makes you battle-ready?" Sora's eyes cut right into me, and I can't bring myself to lie to him.

"No," I say weakly, ashamed.

"The only thing you'll accomplish by coming along is getting in the way, or getting yourself killed, and you're of no use to anyone if you're dead. Stay here Grimm. I mean it." Sora's expression is somewhere between exasperated and annoyed.

"Yes, Master" In the end, he's right, even if I don't want to admit it. I really_ would_ be in the way...But that doesn't mean I have to be happy about staying here. "Just...be careful."

Sora nods, and his lips settle into a half-smirk. "Behave yourself, Grimm." with that, Sora slips past me and starts getting ready to leave.

My face burns at his comment, but I'm not quite sure why. I'm pretty sure I'm pouting now, but Sora doesn't acknowledge it. I head back up the stairs, almost-but-not-quite stomping up and back into the school hallways. I know my little temper-tantrum isn't going to sway Sora, but it feels good to let off a little steam.

Sora's already gone by the time I get to my car to drive home, and Riku and Roxas are gone too. The sense of loss at Sora's absence is surprising—I thought I'd at least be a little used to it by now, it isn't like I've seen a whole lot of him until recently.

But, I guess this isn't one of those things that gets easier as time goes on.

I hope he isn't gone long...

_*****DMS*****_

Two weeks.

That's how long it's been since Sora and the other Wielders left.

And no one has heard from them since.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid—for all I know, two weeks with no communication from them is routine while they're away—but I'm beginning to worry now.

I'm standing in line to get food at the cafeteria, but it's just for show to be honest, I'm not really hungry.

"Hey, Kai-Kai!" Naminé leaps onto my back and covers my eyes. "Guess who?"

"Oh. Hi Naminé." I try to force myself to sound cheerful, but I don't think it works.

Naminé climbs off of me. "Why so glum?" Naminé wonders, her eyes concerned. "Are you okay? You look tired."

I know I do. I've slept for a grand total of sixteen hours since Sora left. The circles under my eyes have been getting steadily darker, and I know I've lost weight, because I haven't been eating... But Naminé doesn't need to know that.

"I don't want to talk about it." I tell her, and I mean it. But, like any good friend, she refuses to leave me alone until I 'fess up.

Naminé's eyes flash with intuition, and she gets this sly little smirk on her face. "Aw, you miss Sora, don't you?"

I nod. It's not like there's anything else to do at this point; she's pretty much hit the nail on the head, so I may as well start talking. "What if something happens to him?"

"He's fine, Kairi. You worry too much. Roxas just called me last night and he said that everyone is okay, but they'll probably be gone for another few days—things are pretty rough over there from what he says." Naminé pats my arm.

I clamp down on the intense surge of jealousy and anger before I do something stupid, but I'm not quite fast enough to bite my tongue. "At least Roxas _talks_ to you." I mutter.

I know it's petty, childish even, for me to be jealous of her relationship with Roxas. I'm happy for her, I really am. But, even though she's my best friend, I still can't tell her what being apart from Sora does to me.

I can't sleep.

I can't eat.

I can't think, at least not about him and all the horrible things that could happen to him while he's away...

It's hell.

"Sorry," I tell her. "I didn't mean to snap. I'm just a little stressed out."

"No worries." Naminé smiles, forgiving me without a second thought, because that's just the kind of person she is.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" Naminé wonders as we sit down—I was kind of hoping that she wouldn't notice that I hadn't grabbed anything to eat.

"Nah. I'm not really hungry." I tell her.

Naminé huffs. "This isn't healthy, Kairi." her tone is severe, almost scolding. "Sora's_ fine_."

_Yeah, he is, but I don't think she meant it that way..._

"Look, I promised Sora I wouldn't say anything about where they were going, but I can't stand to see you like this." Naminé bites her lip, hesitant, and then sighs. The Wielders are in Radiant Garden; you can go check on Sora for yourself if you want, but if he asks, they've been covering the Wielders on the news. He'll be pissed if he finds out I said anything."

I'm beaming now, genuinely happy for the first time in days. "Thanks, Nami! Your secret's safe with me!" I'm already headed for the door. I've never ditched school a day in my life, so I pluck up my courage and stop by the office. I manage to fake the stomach flu convincingly enough that they let me go home early, which is surprising, since I've always been a terrible liar.

It only takes a few minutes to walk back and get my car, and then I'm on my way.

_I'm coming, Sora_.

_*****DMS*****_

Radiant Garden is a war zone.

Literally.

The massive skyscrapers in the financial districts are in ruins, flames belching from the gaping holes in the structures.

The military helicopters weave between the buildings, cutting loose with their machine guns and rocket launchers in an attempt to stem the black tide surging through the streets.

The noise is incredible; even with the windows rolled up, the high-pitched screeching of the Heartless as they rampage through the streets.

I'm beginning to think that this was a bad idea, especially considering the fact that I have no clue where to _look_ for Sora.

If the Wielders are as good as he says—and there's no doubt in my mind that they are—they'll probably be at the center of the action.

I turn down the main street; it's an odd spectacle to be sure—the place is completely deserted. A few loose leaves of paper blow though the streets like mournful tumbleweeds, but there's no more motion than that.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I feel trapped. Cornered.

_Something's off..._

And then it happens:

With an unholy wail, the Heartless descend upon the car, clawing and scratching and biting at the tires and the windows of my car.

I slam on the gas, but it's no use, they just crawl onto the windshield so I can't see, and I have to stop the car. The entire plate of glass is covered by an undulating black mass, with glowing yellow pairs of eyes staring at me from every conceivable direction, like something out of a horror movie.

_It's okay._ I tell myself. _They can't get to you in here. You're safe_.

The scars on my back tingle at the memory of my first encounter with these things is not an experience I'm keen on repeating.

My heart leaps into my throat, and my stomach decides that it's going to hind in my shoes until the danger passes,

_You're okay._

_ You're okay._

_ You're okay_.

I chant silently to myself, trying to stay calm. It works, at least until the cracks start appearing in the windows. It's a slow and miserable process, but the Heartless finally manage to put a hole in the glass and are steadily trying to widen it.

"_Help!_ Someone help me!" I shout, knowing it won't do any good since there's no one around.

And then I'm crying, because I'm not ready to die, but it looks like I'm not going to have much say in the matter.

"Back off!" The voice is unmistakeable Sora's, followed by Riku's more brazen taunt:

"Is that all you got?" That's Riku, for sure.

A surge of fire washes over the windshield, obliterating the Heartless.

There's a short burst of gunfire and I duck down to avoid any stray bullets.

"What the hell is your problem corporal?" Sora snaps, his voice terse and dangerous. "You said this area was secure!"

"It was, sir!" someone else is speaking now, nervous and rapid.

"Obviously not." Sora growls. He jerks the car door open.

I keep my face pressed against the steering wheel. There's no telling what will happen when he finds out it's me.

"Are you alright miss?" He asks, tenderly, and for a moment I think about not moving so he'll talk to me some more.

"Miss?" He repeats. Sora's hand snakes under my chin and tips my head back. I don't fight him, I don't have it in me to do that.

I open my eyes, and for a split second, I catch a glimpse of _my_ Sora, and then the mask comes crashing back down, his eyes blazing with anger, the hard line of his jaw resolute and unyielding as his lips compress.

Sora all but drags me out of the car. "What the hell are you doing here, Grimm? I gave you explicit orders to stay in Traverse Town...Or did you think that the rules just don't apply to you?" he growls.

I feel even worse than the times my mother scolded me as a kid—because that's essentially what's happening here—and I can't look Sora in the eye. Not that it would do me much good, because he doesn't give me a chance to answer.

"I don't have time for this." His voice is a low hiss, and I'm not sure he means for me to hear him. "I'll deal with you later." he snaps.

I wonder what in the world that could possibly mean, but I don't have that much time to think about it, because he's turning to Riku now, not even giving me a chance to defend myself.

"Riku, I need you to take Kairi back to Traverse Town and make sure she stays there. When you're finished, get back here as quickly as you can."

Riku nods and gives me an apologetic glance out of the corner of his eye. "Sure."

"And you," Sora continues, this time spearing the man in army fatigues a particularly venomous glare. "Stay out my way."

With that, Sora stalks away.

"Come on," Riku says quietly, and then he leads me back to his car. It's a pretty slick ride—one of those new Avengers—it makes my Civic look like a toy.

I slide into the seat and buckle my seatbelt, unable to think of anything to say until we're a little ways down the road. I start giggling, more out of nervousness than anything else.

"So...how much trouble am I in?" I ask Riku.

"I dunno." Riku admits. "Sora's pissed though; I don't think I've ever seen him that angry before."

My heart seizes with dread. "Any advice?" I can tell from the grave tone of Riku's voice that no amount of sweet-talk, puppy-pouting, or outright begging will get me out of whatever-it-is that Sora has planned for me."

Riku shrugs. "Try not to make it worse. I'll do what I can to try and calm him down, but he's not exactly thrilled with your little stunt."

"I'm sorry," I tell him. "I didn't mean to cause trouble for you—I was just worried. I haven't heard from any of you in two weeks; I thought something had happened." I admit, glossing over the gory details of what's been happening in their absence, like the sleeplessness and my lack of appetite.

"Don't be sorry." Riku says, grinning a little. "While I'll admit that I agree that you aren't ready for battle yet, I admire your courage. That was a pretty gutsy move. Sora won't admit it because he's a hardass, but you've come a long way since you've started training. You should be proud of yourself."

I smile, glad to hear some acknowledgment of my progress—at least my hard work hasn't gone unnoticed.

However, like any good friend, Riku is quick to quash my hopes before they take me somewhere dangerous. "That being said, you're still in deep shit...Sorry."

I nod—I wasn't really expecting anything different—and then look up.

_That was quick_...

We're back at the school, and the parking lot is still full, hopefully I can skate out of here without drawing too much attention to myself...

"Yeah. Thanks for the ride, Riku. See you later."

Riku nods again and shoots another apologetic smile my way. "Good luck." and then, more quietly: "You're gonna need it..."

I suppress a shudder and head back to my car.

_That's reassuring..._

_*****DMS*****_

Thankfully, my parents aren't back from work yet when I get home, which is definitely a relief. I'm not looking forward to explaining why my car is missing, or why it's riddled with bullet holes.

When dinnertime rolls around I'm pleasantly surprised—very little is said about my car. I make up some half-baked story about leaving it at school and they buy it, for now.

We veg out in front of the TV for a couple hours, and then it's off to bed.

I've just finished changing into my pajamas after my shower—my hair's not even dry yet—and the Sora's climbing into my room from the open window.

He's a wreck.

Sora's eyes are dark and murderous, and he rakes a hand through his wild mane of spikes, like he's trying to pull himself together.

I realize that it's him just in time to keep myself from screaming; and I'm suddenly very glad that I went to the bathroom before I started getting ready for bed, otherwise I'd be peeing myself right now.

I'd probably die of embarrassment if that happened—especially in front of Sora. Although, all things considered, that's not a bad way to go, given the fact that I have _no idea_ what Sora's planning on doing to

My hand flies to my chest as I sink down onto my bed, I have to make sure my heart hasn't exploded from the sheer terror I've just experienced.

_Thumpthumpthumpthump..._

Nope, still good.

"I'm extremely disappointed with you, Kairi." Sora hisses, his voice low and dangerous and menacing. "Just what the _fuck_ were you thinking? You could've been killed!" Sora's entire body trembles, but he manages to keep himself from screaming.

My heart jolts. _He said my name_.

Sora _never_ does that.

"I-" I grope for some flowery apology, some extravagant string of words that will dissipate Sora's ferocious anger, but:

"I'm sorry, Master." is the best I can come up with.

Sora stays put, absolutely still, and doesn't say anything.

The suspense is killing me; even though I'm afraid of the answer, I have to know: "What are you going to do with me?"

"I haven't decided yet." Sora's tone is clipped, his eyes cold and furious as he crosses the room. "However, because you have a complete lack of ability to behave like a sensible person, I'll be staying here for the night."

Sora's spending the night.

In. My. Bedroom.

Wow...

Sora presses his back against my bedroom door and slides down to sit on the floor.

Suddenly, I'm possessed by a horrible thought. "What if you get caught?" I wonder.

"I won't." Sora's tone says: _drop it._ "Go to sleep, Kairi."

"Yes, Master." I nod, excruciatingly aware of how tired I am as I slip under the covers.

I feel safe now. Protected.

I know Sora won't let anything happen to me.

Some time later, as I'm drifting in an almost-comatose state of pseudo-consciousness, my mouth starts moving without my permission.

"_Sora..._" I drag his name out..

"What?" Sora's voice has a tender quality to it—maybe I _am_ dreaming, because he never talks to me like this.

"Don't leave me." I'm begging, pleading, pouring my heart and soul and desire to be with him into the words, somehow, it's much easier to do in a dream.

Stupid, self-destructive masochistic tendencies.

This can't happen.

It will _never_ happen.

And yet...I can't let go of this poisonous dream, this sick fantasy, this twisted, perverted hope that somewhere, deep down inside himself, Sora cares about me.

That's how I know I'm dreaming when Sora answers me.

"Don't be ridiculous, Kairi." Sora says quietly. "I couldn't leave you even if I wanted to." something that feels suspiciously like Sora's finger brushes a few strands of hair off my face, and then—the best/worst part of all—his lips press against the corner of my mouth.

"Sora?" I'm struggling back toward consciousness now

"Go to sleep, Grimm." Sora's voice carries the hard, authoritative tones of _Wielder_.

I don't look at him—I don't want to see his mask of will and tempered fury in my dreams. "Okay. Goodnight, Sora."

Sora's hand, soft and gentle without his gloves and gauntlets, brushes against my forehead. "I said: 'go to sleep'."

I find it funny that he says this, because I'm _already_ asleep. "Alright, alright, I'm going. Night." I tell him, more out of habit than anything else.

"Goodnight, Kairi." Sora says, and he sounds wistful, almost sad.

And then I'm out.

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**~Script**


	11. The Boiling Point

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**On with the show!**

_**Chapter XI: The Boiling Point**_

Sora's gone when I wake up—I feel childish for expecting him to stay in the first place—but my lips still tingle at the memory of his kiss. I know I was dreaming at the time, and that it's sad to cling so desperately to the memory of something that never even _happened_, but I'm a glutton for punishment.

It's the weekend, so I don't bother putting actual clothes on, I just throw a hoodie on over the tank top and flannel pants that I normally wear to sleep. I don't fuss with my hair, but I take a few minutes to brush my teeth—I can't stand the taste of 'morning breath. I take a washrag over my face to get the sleep out of my eyes, and then head downstairs for breakfast.

"There you are!" My mother's enthusiastic greeting startles me, and she swoops in to kiss me on the cheek before I can fully recover. "Good morning, sweetheart. For a minute there, we were afraid you were going to sleep the day away." she shuffles back to the stove and pours more pancake batter into the pan, sprinkling blueberries into the mix, just the way I like it.

My mouth waters as the heavenly smell filters through my nose.

However, I'm not so high on endorphines that I miss the plural in her sentence.

"We?" I'm confused—my father has already left for work, so who else could she be talking about?

My eyes wander over to the breakfast table, and my heart leaps into my throat.

Sora's sitting at the breakfast table, gorging himself on Mom's pancakes like he used to when we were kids. He looks almost...happy. The mask that hides the real Sora is gone, if only for this brief moment, and I feel a twinge in my chest at the knowledge that he'll probably never be his old self around me again.

Sora looks up from working his way through a short-stack of syrup smothered pancakes and brushes his lips with a napkin. "Good morning, Kairi." his piercing eyes flicker but his mask doesn't make an appearance.

I blink, unaccustomed to a civilized greeting that doesn't involve my last name, and then I realize that my silence could be considered rude. "G-good morning Ma—Sora." My cheeks burn at the slip and Sora smirks before gesturing to the table.

"I could really use some help here, Kai. I can't eat all these pancakes by myself." Sora's grin is as theatrical as it is cheesy—the word _boyfriend_ flashes through my mind, and my Mom winks at me when Sora looks down to take another bite.

My heart thrills at the nickname—another blast from the past, but one with more sentimentality; only Sora is allowed to use that as a nickname.

"S-sure. No problem." I flash Sora a grin of my own—except that mine is real—and sit down before I make more of a fool of myself. I take a swig from the glass of milk in front of me, anything to cool the raging heat on my face.

Mom slides a syrup-drizzled stack of pancakes in front of me and I'm suddenly aware of how hungry I am.

I attack the pile of breakfast food, while my mother makes conversation with Sora, no doubt trying to see if he'll make a suitable boyfriend for me.

Part of me wants to tell her to stop, because it's no use, Sora will never want to be with me. But at the same time, another part of me, the masochistic, self-destructive one, whispers to me that the fact that Sora stayed has to mean _something..._

Right?

"So, Sora, what do you do for work?" my mother asks, sitting down at the table with her own plate.

Sora's eyes flash to mine for a second, like: _Seriously?_ He smirks at me, a little private gesture, and there's the barest hint of mirth in his eyes as he sees through mom's polite pretenses.

"I work for a private security contractor." He says succinctly.

Mom's eyebrows go up. "Oh?"

This is her _mom voice_, and I feel bad for Sora, because that tone normally means that she disagrees with something you've said.

"I see."

Yep. She definitely disapproves.

"That sounds dangerous...How do your parents feel about that?" mom asks.

Sora shrugs, completely nonchalant, utterly in control of the situation.

Still I don't miss the slight twitch of his eyebrow and the subtle compression on his lips that tells me he's uncomfortable with this line of questioning. I wonder why that is?

"They don't really mind; I don't get the really dangerous assignments, I just make sure nobody tries to break into the school on weekends."

Sora's impeccable attentiveness doesn't fail him here. "And how have things been going for you, Mrs. Grimm?" he's devilishly suave and immaculately polite and, just like that, the focus shifts from Sora to my mother.

I tuck into my pancakes again—they really are delicious—while Sora and my mother make polite conversation.

My mother finishes her breakfast while the two of them talk, and then she's getting up to put her plate in the dishwasher and take her car keys from the basket.

"I have some errands to run. I trust you two can behave yourselves while I'm out?" her tone is somewhere between firm and teasing—enough to tell that it's a serious question.

I bury my face in my arms, too embarrassed to even nod, but Sora doesn't miss a beat, and his virtuous manners never falter. "Of course, Mrs. Grimm."

The door opens and shuts and then it's just Sora and I, alone.

For a long and uncomfortable moment, the only sound in the room is the scraping of flatware on Sora's plate—I can't bring myself to look at him until he takes his jacket off the back of his chair.

My masochistic tendencies can always be counted on to cause me more emotional pain than I can handle, because even though I already know the answer, I ask:

"Where are you going?"

Sora glares at me as he shrugs into his jacket. "Back to Radiant Garden. Thanks to your little stunt, Riku and Roxas have been there alone all night. I hope, for your sake, that nothing's happened to them." The mask is back, resolute will and determination etched across his features, and I'm not sure whether to take his threat seriously.

"Let me come with you. I can help you."

Sora stuffs his keys into his pocket and stows his now-cleaned plate in the dishwasher. "No."

"_Please_." I'm really, truly, honestly begging him now. I can't bear this.

I cannot endure not knowing if he's going to come home safe or if I'll find out from Riku that he's dead.

I know I'm being pathetic, that I should just let him go and move on with my life, but I can't.

It just isn't possible.

"I said no, Grimm. This isn't up for discussion." Sora snaps as he gets into his car. The engine roars to life, and yank the passenger door open and get in, unwilling to let him leave without me—nevermind the fact that I'm still in my pajamas.

"Sora!" Rage, the likes of which I've never felt before courses through me. It twists through my veins like a living thing, demanding motion, demanding action.

Sora whirls, his brow darkened with anger. "You have exactly three seconds to get out of my car, or your time as a Wielder is over." he snarls.

"_I don't care!_" I scream back at him. I've never been one for angry outbursts, and I know Sora knows that. My rage seems to strike a chord in him, because instead of physically throwing me out of the car and driving off, he drags a hand through his wild mane of spikes and looks at me like I've grown a second head.

"What did you say?"

I take a breath—the adrenaline rush from my anger is wearing off, and to be completely honest, I'm exhausted now.

I'm tired of the mind games.

Tired of the secrecy.

Tired of Sora's superiority complex.

Tired of waiting for him to _take a freaking hint already_.

Just...tired.

"I said: 'I don't care.' Go ahead, kick me out of your little posse. Disown me. Spread all sorts of nasty rumors about me and turn me into a social pariah. I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Sora kills the engine, but his scrutiny drags on for a moment. And then, he laughs. "You don't get it, Grimm. This is all for you. _All_ of it. Don't you remember?"

I shake my head, troubled by my amnesia, my inability to remember what is clearly a turning point in Sora's life.

"I'm trying to keep you safe, Kairi."

"_You're_ the one who doesn't get it, Sora. I can't be apart from you. I can't. It kills me when you leave; you don't talk to me, so I don't know if you're okay. Do you have any idea how much it terrifies me that one day Roxas and Riku are going to come back without you, and I'm going to have to hear from one of them that you're _dead_? Do you know what that's like?"

Sora's teeth clamp together. "Dammit, Kairi, what do you want from me? I do what I do so that you can be safe. I can't go out there to protect other people if I know that you're in harm's way. So, quite frankly, I don't give a shit how you feel." his tone says he's angry, but his face says that he's not quite sure how to feel.

"You don't mean that." I say, as much for him as for myself.

"I really do." Sora replies, his tone hard and unwavering. "Not everyone gets their happy ending Kairi, I'm sorry that things didn't turn out the way you wanted them to, but it's time to grow up and get past it. So, stop throwing your little fit and move on with your life. There are far better people out there for your than me, Kairi. Maybe if you stopped your pathetic pining over me, you would see that." He's so smug and cocksure and that makes his words cut even deeper.

My eyes burn with hot, angry tears. I want so badly to slap him, but I can't bring myself to hurt him like that. "You cold-hearted bastard! Don't you feel anything for me?"

Sora looks away from me then. "No." but I know he's lying.

"You do! You do feel something! Why can't you let us be friends? Why can't I be with you?"

Sora face is an agonized grimace. "Because, that's not the way the world works, Kairi. We can't all get what we want."

"But you _can_! I'm right here in front of you Sora! I'm begging you to let us be friends like we used to!"

Sora's eyes narrow, like I've crossed some kind of invisible line. "And that's precisely the problem. We used to be friends. We aren't anymore."

"We can fix it! Just...let's fix it." My voice is weak. My eyes burn with unshed tears. I'm out of energy and arguments, and Sora's determined to have nothing to do with me, despite my soul-baring confession.

"No." Sora's voice is strained.

"I hate you!" I tell him, but I don't mean it. Tears are spilling down my cheeks, soaking my shirt, and all I want to do is curl up and die somewhere. To put an end to my miserable, wretched existence.

"You don't mean that," Sora's voice is hopeful, but uncertain.

I don't have the energy to argue with him. "Leave me alone. Go save the world and forget about me. That's what you want, isn't it?"

"Kairi, I—" Sora's fumbling for words now, which is so unlike him, but I don't want to hear what he has to say.

"Shut up! Just shut up, okay! I don't want to hear it. The damage is done now. You've made it abundantly clear that you want absolutely nothing to do with me—"

It's Sora's turn to interrupt. "That's not true, and you know it." he growls.

"But you're still going to leave, and in the end, that's all that really matters." I realize, unable to stop crying as the reality of the situation hits me like a freight train. "You're always going to pick them over me. You're always going to want to help them more than me."

"I don't _want_ to. I_ have _to." Sora reiterates, and I realize that there's no way to talk him out of leaving.

"Fine, then. But before you go, there's something I have to do first, because I might never get the chance." I tell him. And then, I close my eyes and lean in, pressing my lips softly against his.

At least, that's how it starts.

Before I realize what's happening, Sora's crushing me to him and kissing me back, hard and rough, and savagely passionate.

I am at once thrilled, because I was right: he _does_ have feelings for me.

But, I'm also terrified.

_Where do we go from here?_

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**~Script**


	12. Instruments of Law and Order

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**As always, thanks to all my readers for your reviews/favorites/alerts! Your support has been incredible! You guys are awesome!**

**On with the show!**

_**Chapter XII: Instruments of Law and Order**_

Euphoria.

Ecstasy.

Elation.

I feel these things and so much more as Sora's and my lips continue their instinctive, intricate dance.

Sometime during the frantic fever-mesh of our lips, I realize that I've forgotten to breathe, and I'd be entirely mortified if I passed out during my first kiss.

I pull away slowly, trying to catch my breath in a dignified manner. I try for a triumphant smirk, having finally proved that Sora does in fact have some sort of feelings for me, try to gloat in the same condescending, superior way that he does, but all that comes out is:

"Wow..." _Real articulate, Kairi._

Sora smirks, but the expression holds no malice or haughtiness.

"Let me come with you." I request, firmly, hoping to exploit his post-kiss stupor.

Sora's grin turns smug. "While I appreciate your zeal, you may want to consider getting dressed before you go running off to save the world."

My cheeks burn at the realization that I really _was _about to leave without getting dressed. I can't meet his eyes.

"Wait for me." I'm surprised at the strength of my voice, but if it has any effect on Sora, he masks it well.

"Alright," Sora concedes, but something in his eyes hints at dishonesty.

"Promise me." I stare him down, unflinching, refusing to take 'no' for an answer.

Sora stares back and his eyes soften for a fraction of a second before hardening into the all-too-familiar mask of determination that I'm so used to seeing. "I promise."

I've never changed clothes so quickly in my entire life.

I drag the comb through my hair to make myself presentable, and then I sprint back to Sora's car. "I'm ready, Master."

Sora looks mildly amused, and he raises an eyebrow. "That was quick."

I shrug, ready to get on with things, and buckle myself in.

Sora starts the car and peels out of the driveway. To my surprise, he doesn't get on the highway right away, instead heading to the school.

"What are you doing? I thought you said we had to get back to Radiant Garden..."

Sora nods. "We do, but I have to take care of something first." he says as he pulls into an open space in the deserted parking lot—it's Saturday, so there's no school. "Come with me."

"Yes, Master."

I follow him into the Wielder's training facility, where he takes one of the empty rubber handles from the stand next to the dais.

"What's going on?" I wonder.

If Sora's irritated at my lack of honorific, he doesn't show it. "Kneel." He instructs without answering my question, plucking a star-shaped keychain off the dais in the center of the room.

Sora mutters something and attaches the keychain.

There's a blinding flash of light, and then Sora's holding a red-and-yellow, flowery key-shaped sword, much like the ones he, Riku, and Roxas wield during battle.

_No way..._

I can't possibly be ready for this; I can barely handle the wooden staff he gave me to train with.

Sora flips the mystical weapon around, extending it toward me grip first.

"In your hand, take this Key." He recites.

It sounds like I'm about to be sworn in again, and even though I'm not quite sure what's going on, I wrap my fingers around the grip. It's rough and easy to hold, no doubt so I won't lose my grip on it during a fight.

"So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its Wielder you shall one day be." Sora continues, and I wonder if I'm being promoted.

"And you will find me, friend—no ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love."

I nod again, too astonished to speak, unable to believe this is actually happening.

Sora releases the other end of the weapon and takes a step back. "Welcome to the team, Kairi." he drags a hand through his hair, and his expression is pained, like this is the last thing on earth he wants to be doing.

"In my experience, it's a little unorthodox for an initiate to be promoted to 'apprentice' this quickly, but given your progress and our need for other Wielders in the field, I think this is the right decision." Sora explains.

"Oh. Thank you," I say, unsure of how I should proceed from here; this is too much to process all at once.

Sora puts both his hands on my shoulders in a firm, almost painful grip. "Kairi, I need you to listen to me very carefully. Do you remember what I told you when you became a Wielder?"

"Yes." The memory surfaces instantly.

_Once we're outside, alone in the hallway, Sora starts pacing like a caged animal. His hand rakes through his hair and he turns to me, conflicted, like he doesn't know whether he should be angry or impressed._

_ "Do you want to be a Wielder?" Sora asks after a long, uncomfortable silence._

_ "Huh?" I have to make sure my ears aren't playing tricks on me. I don't know if I can handle it if this is a lie too..._

_ Sora looks at me like: I don't speak dumbass, like: Maybe this is a mistake..._

_ And then he says it again, slowly, so there's no possible way for me to misunderstand him. "Do. You. Want. To. Be. A. Wielder?" _

_ "Yes." I answer automatically, not quite able to believe what I'm hearing._

_ "Fine. Then you'll follow my commands explicitly, without question, and without hesitation." He pauses and hands my phone back to me. "You will come when I call you I don't care if you're in bed, in the shower, or at your great Aunt Edith's funeral, and you will always answer the phone by the third ring."_

"Yes, I remember."

"Good," Sora's face has become the same impassive mask that I'm so used to seeing, and I _hate _it. "Your little stunt back at your house may have gotten you here, and while I commend you for your tenacity, I will not tolerate further disobedience. If you don't follow my orders in the field, you're going to end up dead—this isn't the obstacle course, and you aren't sparring with Riku or Roxas, the Heartless aren't going to stop so you can catch your breath."

I nod. "I understand."

Sora nods once, curtly.

"Let's go. Riku and Roxas are waiting for us.

_*****DMS*****_

Radiant Garden is in even worse shape than before. Entire buildings have crumbled under the ferocity of the Heartless assault, and others are just wrecks, spewing smoke and flame and ash into the air as they creak and groan in their last hours of life.

The military still has a strong presence—if anything, they've upped the ante since my last visit. I wonder briefly how in the world we're going to find Riku and Roxas in this mess—and then I'm overcome by a wave of guilt, because if anything's happened to them, it's all my fault.

But, I don't have to worry, Roxas and Riku are easy to spot.

I haven't decided whether that's a good or bad thing yet. They're surrounded by Heartless, their blades flashing and ringing and snarling as they obliterated the black creatures.

The military is there too, unloading into the creatures with staccato bursts of gunfire that are almost as ineffective as clubbing the things with a stick.

Suddenly I'm terrified, scared peeless—all I want to do is go home, curl up in a ball, and sleep until this is all over. But, it's a little too late to back out now. I take deep breath and remind myself why I'm here, facing off against my worst nightmare.

Literally.

_I, Kairi Grimm, do solemnly swear,_

I clip my keychain to the handle and my Keyblade appears with a blinding flash of light.

_To deliver the weak._

I stare at the snarling mass of black and yellow, teeth and claws, and the inhuman screeches that only Heartless can make, and try to suppress a shudder.

_To combat tyranny in all its forms._

One of the soldiers goes down in a spray of gore and a scream and I have to look away, even though the image will be burned into my brain forever.

_To be fearless in the face of death._

I tighten my grip on my Keyblade and lock eyes with Sora.

_And above all, to wield the Keyblade in defense of peace and justice as long as I am able._

"Are you ready?" Sora wonders quietly.

I nod.

And then, together, we charge.

I tear into the nearest Heartless with a furious hack, the strength of which surprises even me. Sora and I complement each other perfectly, automatically adjusting to protect one another while continuing our assault.

I can see why Sora's training regiment is so taxing—this is absolutely brutal; you really _do_ need to be aware of everything at once.

We manage to get about halfway to where Riku and Roxas are fighting, and then a strange blue shield erupts around them.

"Oh, shit!" Sora mutters, and then he whirls, crushing me to him in a desperate embrace and gritting out the word:

"Reflega." next to my ear.

Sora's embrace is tight and firm and protective and I fit the contours of his body like a puzzle piece, like I was made for him.

_I could stay like this forever..._I realize.

And then, I'm wrenched back into the here and now by the unfolding chaos.

A similar bluish dome erupts around us, and then a military chopper rors in overhead, guns blazing, rockets streaking out of their launchers as it spins out of control.

"Mayday, _mayday_!" The pilot's panicked voice crackles over the soldiers' radios. There's a sharp burst of static and a sickening gurgle, and I stare at the violently whirling chopper, wondering what could possibly be making such horrible noises.

And that's when I see it.

_Oh, gods..._

The heartless have invaded the cockpit, swarming over the pilot as the poor soul twitches and jerks, splattering the windshield with blood.

The chopper swings back around in a tight arc, rotors tearing into the street near us as it plows into the asphalt, exploding in a brilliant burst of flame. Debris flies in every direction, ripping through parked cars, shredding abandoned vendor carts and taking chunks out of buildings in great sprays of dust and plaster.

The noise is deafening, and the temperature within the protective barrier, soars as the flames lick over its surface.

And then, gradually, the spectacle abates, and I'm there, clinging to Sora for dear life, shell-shocked, hearing muddled by the ringing noise in my ears.

Sora leans closer and although his mouth is moving, I can't hear anything.

"_What?_ You're gonna have to speak up, I can't hear you!" I say

I can tell from the expression on his face that Sora's yelling at the top of his voice when he responds, but it sounds like normal conversation to me..

"I said: _'Are you okay?'_" he shouts as my hearing returns with an uncomfortable popping sensation, and Sora's loud voice echoes in the confined space.

The sheer power of the sound is like a knife being driven into my eardrums.

I wince.

The shield around us drops and Sora steps away. "Sorry," he mutters. "Are you alright?"

I allow myself a moment to grieve for the poor man in the pilot's seat before answering. "I think so." I check myself for scratches and scrapes. "I'm good." I decide.

"Good." Sora responds before turning to Riku and Roxas. He nods at them cordially. "Form up.

Riku and Roxas pick their way back across the wreckage to Sora and I, both of them looking a little worse for the wear.

Roxas is sporting a cut on his cheek, and a few bruises on his arms, but other than that, he looks alright—his eyes are still bright with battle-lust.

Riku just looks irritated; he's fine apart from a bandage on his left forearm.

"We did everything we could, Sora." Roxas says slowly, like he's preparing to deliver some bad news.

"Ansem's taken City Hall. Apparently, he's behind the Heartless invasion here." Riku explains.

Sora nods. "Then he needs to be dealt with." It's obviously a no-brainer for him, but before he can go and save the day like I know he wants to, Riku grabs his arm.

"It's not that simple, Sora. We can't just go in there guns-blazing, because that'll get us killed. We need to take time to plan and strategize; this guy doesn't play games." Riku tells him.

Sora scowls, almost like a challenge and I look at him, pleading with him not to start a fight. He sighs. "Fine. What do you sugggest?"

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**~Script**


	13. Grit, Guts, and Glory

**Disclaimer: You know what? I'm not even gonna say it. If you don't already know by now, see the previous twelve chapters.**

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**On another note, I have decided to merge the fic that **

**On with the show!**

_**Chapter XIII: Grit, Guts, and Glory**_

The fighting has more or less subsided now, and the military personnel have withdrawn to other areas of the city.

We're hunkered down in an abandoned building—one of the few that still has some semblance of structural integrity. Sora and Riku have strung up some work lamps, Roxas has managed to find an outlet that miraculously still works, and I found some old chairs and a table in another room.

The small workspace has become a make shift War Room; there's a map of Radiant Garden stuck to the table with pushpins.

Sora's face is grim and intense as he stares at the map.

Riku and Roxas are just as serious as he is, but not quite as angry.

"So, what do we know so far?" I wonder out loud, half out of curiosity, and half because the silence is killing me. I tie my hair back with a rubber band as I wait for an answer.

Riku leans forward and points at the map, somewhere near Main Street, I think. "Anyone got a pen?" he asks.

Roxas shakes his head. "Nope. Sorry, dude."

Sora pats his pockets before following suit. "Me neither."

I search my pockets too, but all I have is a dried-out Sharpie and a tube of lipstick. I never wear lipstick anyway, so I surrender the tube to Riku. "This is all I've got." I smile apologetically.

Riku just shrugs. "It'll work." He draws a circle around the center of the map surrounding City Hall.

"As far as we can tell, this is Ansem's perimeter. The Heartless here are pretty nasty, so it's probably a good idea to stock up on potions and stuff before we go in." Riku explains.

Roxas takes the makeshift marker from Riku and crosses out the streets that intersect the circle. "Ansem's got this area pretty well covered, too." he adds.

Sora pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs, whether from stress or frustration, I can't be sure. "Looks like the best course of action would be to come in from the West." Sora points to the map.

"That's a good plan. There's only one main street there, and the buildings will help hide our approach until we're right on top of them." Riku nods.

I can follow the plan of attack just fine, but when it comes to this 'Ansem' person, I'm thoroughly confused. "Who's this 'Ansem' you guys keep talking about?"

"He's the head-honcho around here." Roxas explains. "He's been creating and releasing Heartless into the city."

"Oh. That's not good." I admit, unsure of what else to say.

"Riku, I want you on the rooftop directly across from the entrance until Roxas, Kairi, and I break the perimeter. I want you to let us know if they see us coming. Once we're in, I want you to come and join us on the battlefield." Sora's tone leaves no room for even a hint of insubordination, and Riku nods.

"Got it."

"Roxas, I want you to take point on this one; take out as many of the bastards as you can on the way in. Grimm and I will cover your six."

My lips twist into a frown at Sora's choice to use my last name instead of my first. I really thought we were making some kind of progress...

"No problem, boss." Roxas' impish grin is almost a mirror-image of Sora's, and my heart twinges at the reminder.

"Let's get moving. The longer we wait, the more time Ansem has to release Heartless into the city." Sora says and strides for the door.

My teeth saw into my bottom lip as I debate confronting him again—I'd really rather not have this conversation in front of Riku and Roxas.

The two of them slip out the door ahead of Sora, and I seize my opportunity.

"What's with you?" I wonder. "I thought we were past all this..." I'm trying really hard not to pout or whine, but I'm pretty sure I'm not succeeding in either one of those endeavors.

Sora's body immediately tenses and he rakes a hand through his hair, eyes throbbing, his face a mask of tempered violence and unwavering control. "We're not discussing this now." he says, his voice hard and measured. "I should never have kissed you. This is too much of a distraction." he sneers.

I pull him to me stung and confused, wrapping my arms around him, leaning my head on his chest. "_Don't_." I try to drum up the anger, the righteous indignation that I know I should be feeling, but I can't quite get there. "Please don't pull away from me again. Don't shut me out. Let me help you; we can get through this together."

Sora's answering smirk is equal parts condescension and irritation. "You're so naïve. Do you really think life is that simple? All sunshine and rainbows and shit?"

His words are like slaps, and I curse myself for believing his facade of benevolence, because now it hurts so much more. "N-no..."

Sora removes himself from my grip and takes a few steps back. "Good."

Anger surges through my veins, potent and hot and raw, and before I can stop myself, my hand cracks into the side of Sora's face.

"Where do you get off—" I begin, really about to let him have it, but his immediate and vehement response stops me cold.

Sora grabs my hand, his eyes pulsing with fury. "Don't fuck with me, Grimm. I mean it. I don't care if you hate my guts, but right now we need to work as a team. _This_ is exactly the reason that I didn't want you to join—you're completely controlled by your emotions. Get a hold of yourself." he lets go of my hand roughly, leaving me to dash at my eyes as the tears spill over onto my cheeks.

"And keep up."

I suck in a breath, wipe my eyes one last time, and follow him out of the room. "Yes, Master."

_*****DMS*****_

I slink along behind Sora and Roxas as we make our way through the alleyways toward city hall.

Roxas looks back a few times to smile at me in encouragement, but that does nothing to dispel the stony silence that has descended upon our group.

Sora keeps his eyes forward, completely refusing to acknowledge my existence.

His aloofness stings, but if I'm being completely honest with myself, I really should be used to it by now...

"We're almost there." Sora says quietly. "How are we looking Riku?" he continues, adjusting his earpiece.

"You look alright from here. There seems to be some kind of disturbance drawing their attention on the opposite side of the compound." Riku's deep voice is made tinny by the earpiece. "Now's as good a time as any to strike."

Sora nods once, curtly, completely immersed in his role as leader. "Copy that. Moving in now." Sora turns to regard Roxas and I, his eyes narrowing into spiteful slits when he looks at me. "Let's move."

Roxas explodes into motion at Sora's command, tearing across the street, his Keyblades flashing as he rips into the Heartless guarding the entrance.

The two creatures disappear in a cloud of darkness, and Roxas motions for us to follow him.

And then all hell breaks loose.

Great, hulking things lope around the corner of the building, holding jagged-toothed swords and bleeding malice into the air. Their horrible eyes burn with hate and the scars on my back flare with phantom pain.

"Invisibles!" Sora shouts, but his voice is coming from somewhere a million miles away.

My hands are quaking, trembling with terror that pierces straight to my core, spreading through my bones with a black, feral intensity.

I ready my Keyblade, clutching the grip with both hands hoping to stop the tremors from spreading to the rest of me. I manage to keep the trembling contained to my arms, but the keychain on my weapon jingles with the motion.

One of the creatures is practically on top of me, swinging its weapon hard in fast, clearly intending to remove my head from my shoulders.

I raise my Keyblade just in time to block, but that's not saying much.

The sheer force of the impact is incredible; it nearly breaks both my wrists and wrenches the weapon from my grip. Th shockwaves from the blow reverberate up into my teeth, rattling my jaw and blurring my vision.

The next blow drives me to the ground; my arms burn with the effort of holding on to the Keyblade.

And they just keep coming, great, double-handed hacks with the impact of an asteroid. I sink to my knees, spent and exhausted. I throw myself out of the way of the next blow just in time, and the Invisible tumbles forward, slamming its sword into the dirt.

I take advantage of the opening, plunging my Keyblade into its chest up to the hilt.

One down, only a few thousand more to go.

The battle is slow and brutal—if this is what the Wielders go through every time they travel to other cities, it's no wonder they have such an intense training program.

Roxas seems to be wearing out a little as well, if the line of red on his brow is any indication, but Sora and Riku don't seem to be any worse for the wear.

The two of them are an unstoppable war machine, spewing fire and ice from the tips of their weapons as the tear into the hulking beasts surrounding them with an effortless finesse and coordination that surpasses even world-class swordsmen.

Roxas is a force to be reckoned with in his own right, his dual-bladed assault is the stuff of legends, his blades whirl and twirl in ferocious, flourishing attacks that lay waste to dozens of the creature.

And me?

It's all I can do to defend myself, let alone fight back.

And even though I tell myself that I'll be alright, in the back of my mind, I know:

_Sora was right. I'm not ready for this..._

Time runs together in a haze of blood and sweat and fear. We're hopelessly outnumbered, and despite my best efforts to keep my cool, the trembling has spread to my entire body—though I can't say whether it's from fear or exhaustion; it's really a toss-up at this point.

Riku's holding his own against at least six of the Invisibles, or whatever-they're-called, and Sora's fighting someone—some_thing?—_with a Keyblade.

The fight is fast and furious and savage from what I can glimpse:

The figure attempts to headbutt Sora, but Sora is too quick, his counter is as fluid and effortless as it is deadly as he brings his knee up into the figure's visor, shattering it.

The figure drives the pommel of his Keyblade into the side of Sora's knee; Sora's face contorts in an agonized grimace and he goes down hard.

That's all I have time to see before I'm paying for my survey in blood; one of the Heartless cracks the back of my head with the pommel of its sword.

A sheet of white fire explodes behind my eyes, and I can feel the blood flowing from the gash in my scalp—I'm probably going to need stitches...

I'm dizzy and nauseous and in pain, but that doesn't stop the Heartless from dragging me back to my feet and holding its saw-toothed blade to my throat.

Sora and the masked boy are at it again, their blades grating and ringing and flashing in the afternoon sun. Sora goes down again, and the boy dismisses his Keyblade, going to work on Sora with his bare hands.

I cover my face with my hands.

_Oh, gods no... _I can't watch this.

_"See. Your leader is not as invincible as you believe him to be."_ The Invisible holding me gurgles in a deep, guttural voice.

Sora takes a knee to the face, and I'm unable to keep myself from screaming at the sight.

Just as the boy's foot is about to crush Sora's throat and end his life, a loud voice intervenes.

"_Vanitas_. That's quite enough." An olive-skinned, shirtless man in dark pants and boots strides around the side of the building.

However, before he can say anything else, he's bowled off his feet by a ball of white light.

"_Pearl!_" A high voice cries, and the head wound must have done more damage than I thought, because suddenly, there's a mouse-like figure with a golden Keyblade soaring over our heads, and Merlin's here too, which is also impossible.

I swoon—the only thing that keeps me on my feet is the Invisible's hold on me. I have just enough time to wonder what the heck is going on, and then, I'm on the grass, floating and drifting in an almost-ethereal emptiness as darkness takes me.

**So...Reviews would be nice. Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?**

**I'm debating writing the next chapter in Sora's POV. How do you guys feel about that? Let me know what you think!**

**Look Sharp,**

**~Script**


	14. The Wayward Wielder

**Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts, there wouldn't really be a reason for me to write any of this would there?**

**As always, a massive thank you to all of my readers for your continued support—it makes me happy to know that you all are enjoying the story so far! Thank you!**

**Alright everyone, by popular demand, this chapter will be written in Sora's POV. We won't really get to see his side of things until later, so I'm going to try to sum up his backstory in as much as possible without dragging things out unnecessarily. As most of you already know, Sora's very OOC in this fic, and in this chapter, I'm going to try and explain how he got to be that way.**

**Let me know what you think!**

**Here goes nothing...**

_**Chapter XIV: The Wayward Wielder**_

_**{Sora}**_

Pain is my universe.

My face aches—a direct and constant reminder of the vicious blow from Vanitas' knee.

My own knee burns and throbs from the pommel strike, and I try not to think about the grating sensation coming from the joint as I force myself to get up.

Vanitas sneers at me though the hole in his visor.

"Had enough yet?"

I don't bother to answer him—partly because I have the energy or the patience to shoot the shit with him, and partly because the whole experience is just too strange to make sense of it all_._

The pseudo-reflection that stares back at me from his shattered visor is the most surreal thing I've ever seen in my life.

It's like looking in a mirror—without a mirror.

Granted, there are some differences; the blazing amber hue of his eyes and his jet black hair don't match my features, but from what I can see through the jagged hole in the glass his hairstyle is exactly the same.

It gives me chills.

I spit blood out onto the ground and bring my Keyblade back up into a ready position. It hurts like hell, but I do it anyway.

Vanitas just laughs and turns on his heel to follow the man in the black coat.

I take a minute to take stock of the outcome.

Roxas and Riku are alright—both of them are bleeding from a few small cuts, but it's nothing serious.

"You guys okay?" I ask, tossing them each a potion—the last two I have on me.

They suck the healing liquid down and nod.

"All good here," Riku says.

"I'm good too," Roxas adds.

I knock back my last elixir for my own injuries, grimacing at the taste. "Grimm, you okay?"

There's no answer forthcoming, which immediately sends my heart into my throat.

"Grimm, can you hear me? This isn't funny..." I continue; I know I've been a complete asshole toward her ever since we ran into each other again, and I wouldn't put it past her to try and fool me into thinking something's happened to her in some kind of twisted retribution.

I certainly deserve it after what I put her through.

_You're overreacting._ I tell myself. _Pull it together._

I'm the leader.

No matter how much I'm falling apart inside, I can't let it show.

Not ever.

I have to be strong.

I have to maintain my facade of invincibility.

_She's probably fine. She's probably just messing with you. It's probably nothing more than a childish...Oh shit._

Kairi's lying facedown on the grass, limp and unmoving, bleeding from her head.

_Oh, gods...no!_

I shove the pain to the back of my mind and sprint to her side, cradling her in my lap.

My world is crumbling; Kairi is the lynchpin that holds my universe together—I wasn't kidding when I said everything I do, or have done has been for her...

Riku, my brother in all respects except blood puts his hand shoulder, because he gets what I'm going through.

And then, because I can't bring myself to do it, because I won't be able to live with myself if something's happened to her on my watch, Riku presses two fingers to the side of her neck.

"Kairi's alright, Sora. She's just unconscious."

It's like this massive weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and I can breathe a little easier.

"Look," Riku continues, parting her hair gently so I can see that the wound isn't life-threatening. It's going to need stitches, sure, but it won't kill her."

I nod again. "Good. Get her out of here. I'll catch up with you guys later."

Even though Kairi's alright, the knowledge does absolutely nothing to dispel the massive surge of guilt I feel at having gotten her into this mess.

If I had just left her alone, she'd be fine.

I clench my jaw.

This can't happen again.

I refuse to let myself be responsible for her coming to harm.

I need to be stronger.

Better.

Faster.

Mickey pats my arm. I may be the leader in the field, but I have to answer to him for all my decisions.

"Say it." I grit my teeth, knowing that I'm about to be severely reprimanded for my actions.

"You did well, Sora. Everyone makes mistakes—there's no way you could've known that Ansem's forces were so powerful. We just need to do some more reconnaissance, brush up on our tactics."

My fingers dig into my skull, fingernails scraping along my scalp. Fury burns in my blood, hot and raw and ragged.

"You don't _get_ it, do you? Kairi got hurt because of me. _Kairi_!" My muscles quake and tremble with rage; my jaw aches from how hard I'm clenching it. "That's completely unacceptable."

Mickey raises an eyebrow, his large ears twitching whether out of annoyance or sympathy, I can't tell. "I'll tell you what, Sora. If you're so worried about her, why don't you go to the hospital and visit her. It'll help to ease your mind; and I need you in fighting shape if we're going to stop this guy."

Just like that, the potent, irrepressible ire drains out of me, leaving me utterly exhausted.

"Right."

The trip to the hospital will give me time to think, if nothing else.

I slide behind the wheel of my M3 coupe when I find it in the alley where I stashed it, miraculously unscathed. I stab the ignition with the key and the engine hums to life. I peel out in a cloud of smoke with tires screeching, headed for the Traverse Town General Hospital.

_How did it come to this?_

I know the answer to that question as soon as I ask it.

However convoluted the chain of events may be, everything started on the night my parents died.

_*****DMS****_

_**Destiny Islands**_

_**Three years ago...**_

_"I'm sorry kid. Your parents, uh...Your folks didn't make it." The soldier's face is grim and hard, though his voice hints at a genuine sympathy._

_ The news is like a hot knife, ripping and twisting and tearing at my innards, until all that's left is a dripping red mess._

_ I manage to angle my head toward the bushes outside the hospital before I vomit, spewing the remnants of my dinner all over the foliage._

_ My face is awash with tears, spilling down my cheeks and dripping off my chin._

_ The knowledge that I'll never be able to eat dinner with my parents again makes me even sicker, and then I feel a large hand patting my back awkwardly._

_ "It'll be alright, kid." The man says._

_ Rage ignites in my blood, snapping through each cell with the destructive, unbridled energy of an atom bomb._

_ Before I have time to contemplate my actions, my fist is slamming into the side of the soldier's face._

_ "Damn, kid! What the hell!" The soldier mutters, wiping blood from a split lip._

_ "Are you serious right now? My parents just _died_ and you tell me 'everything's gonna be alright'?" I raise my fist again, glad to have a target to unleash my anger upon before it consumes me from the inside out._

_ The soldier holds up a hand. "Wait a minute kid—"_

_ "My _name_ is Sora." I snarl, not caring if I'm being rude by interrupting._

_ "_Sora_, I know you're angry right now, and if I were in your shoes right now, I'd be—pardon my French—I'd be mad as fuck too. But you and me, we're on the same team. I get that you're pissed, and I know you wanna get back at the sons-of-bitches that killed your parents. I can help you do that, but you're going to have to trust me."_

_ My lips press together in a scowl. "How can I trust you if I don't even know your name?"_

_ The man laughs then. "You don't miss a thing, do you Sora? My name is Terra. And, if you don't mind coming with me, there's someone I'd like you to meet."_

_ "Alright." I agree, if only because I'm so angry and confused that I can't think of anything else to do at the moment._

_ I follow him back toward the military camp, consoled only by the knowledge that Riku and Kairi are safe._

_ When I found Kairi..._

_ Her screaming, and all that blood..._

_ For a terrible moment, I'd thought they'd killed her._

_ But, she's alive, and in stable condition with her parents by her side at the hospital._

_ Riku's been reunited with his mom and dad too, which is good for him; I'm not going to impose on them now._

_ Terra leads me to an empty tent and holds the flap open for me to enter. _

_ The cloth dwelling smells like sweat and old blood, but I can deal with that._

_ "Do you want to fight back, Sora?" Terra asks._

_ "Huh?"_

_ "Do you want to fight back? Do you want to make sure that these guys can't hurt anyone else like they've hurt you?"_

_ "Of course I-" I begin, but Terra cuts me off._

_ "I don't want you to answer now; it's a very serious question, and I'd like you to take some time to think about your answer—if you say yes, you're full committed, there's no backing out."_

_ I nod, unsure of what else to do at this point._

_ "This is my tent. I have the night patrol tonight, so you can stay here if you want, and let me know what you've decided in the morning." Terra explains, handing me a bedroll and gesturing to his empty cot._

_ "Thanks." I tell him, overwhelmed with gratitude. "I really appreciate it."_

_ Terra reaches out, presumably to ruffle my hair, then seems to think better of it and pulls his hand back. "Don't mention it. I'll see you in the morning. Good night."_

_ "Night," I respond. _

_ I shuffle over to the stiff cot and collapse, emotionally, mentally, and physically spent. I barely have the energy to pull the blanket over me before I'm out like a light._

…_**..**_

_ The next morning brings with it a fresh stab of pain at the knowledge that my parents will never again be there to drag me out of bed for school in the morning, as well as a new resolve to prevent this from happening to anyone else._

_ Terra pokes his head into the tent as I swing my legs over the side of the cot._

_ "Morning." He says._

_ "Morning," I answer, happy that he didn't say it was 'good'._

_ Terra hands me a heaping plate of eggs, bacon and toast, and smiles. "I brought breakfast."_

_ "Thanks." I tell him. I don't feel much like talking, but I'm glad for the gesture, and I clean my plate in silence._

_ The scraping of flatware on plates is a poor substitute for human conversation, but anything's better than actually addressing the pink elephant in the room._

_ After a moment, Terra clears his throat. "Have you decided?"_

_ I know immediately what he's referring to. I can't explain the drive, the resolute need to keep this from happening again—but I know that Kairi is primarily responsible for it. _

_ Finding her was literally the most terrifying thing that's ever happened to me, and if protecting her means protecting those close to her, I'll do it in a heartbeat._

_ "I have...I want to fight back."_

_ "Are you sure? There's no going back after this." he warns._

_ "I'm sure."_

_ Terra nods. He holds out his hand and a large, key-shaped sword appears in his hand._

_ "In your hand, take this Key." _

_ I grab hold of the mystical weapon's handle, and the thing pulses with inner power; my whole body throbs with it._

_ "So long as you have the makings, it's Wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love." Terra recites, as he takes back his weapon._

_ 'The ones you love.'_

Kairi...

"_What?" Terra asks. "Who's Kairi?"_

_ I didn't realize I said that out loud._

_ "She's..."_

_ My Almost-girlfriend._

_ The most important person in my life._

_ No. She _is_ my life._

_ But, I can't tell Terra that, because he won't get it. _

_ "She's my friend." I decide. I want to say 'best' friend, but Riku is my best friend._

_ Even though Kairi is closer to me than Riku, ours is a different kind of friendship._

_ "I want to protect her. I'll fight with every ounce of power in me to make sure she's safe."_

_ "I know you will, Sora. I can see it in your eyes. But, there's more to being a Wielder than just protecting one person. By protecting everyone else, you're also protecting her." Terra explains. His eyes light up like he's just remembered something important. "Sora, what's your last name?"_

_ "Ikameshii. Why?"_

_ "If you want to join the Wielders, you must take the Wielder's Oath. Kneel, and repeat after me:"_

I_ obey his instruction and focus on his words_.

"I, Sora Ikameshii_,_ do solemnly swear-"

_I take a breath at the realization that Terra's right—there's no going back after this. I can't take back something this serious. "I, Sora Ikameshii, do solemly swear,"_

_Terra's eyes bore into me, like he's searching my soul for the slightest hint of dishonesty, the tiniest sliver of reluctance._ "To deliver the weak;"

_"To deliver the weak."_

"To combat tyranny in all its forms;"

_ "To combat tyranny in all its forms." The more I listen, the more I realize how serious this oath is._

"To be fearless in the face of death;"

_"To be fearless in the face of death." I'm a little nervous at that, but I refuse to show any weakness, especially not where Kairi is concerned._

"And above all, to wield the Keyblade in defense of peace and justice as long as I am able."

_I repeat the last line, and Terra touches my shoulder gently with his weapon._

_ Terra pats my shoulder. _

_ "It's good to have you on the team, Sora. I have to go help the guys finish up here, but I'll be right back."_

_ With that, Terra walks out of the tent._

_ I never saw him again._

_*****DMS*****_

The sight of Kairi hooked up to all kinds of hospital machinery sickens me.

She looks so pale, so thin, so fragile under the thin sheet.

I want so badly to go to her, to apologize for not protecting her better, but I can't.

The inexorable magnetic pull that links me to her, this utterly requisite devotion bond that ties us together is exactly the reason that I can't be close to her.

Kairi is my world.

I would go to the ends of the earth for her; I'd do anything so that she could be safe and happy, even if it means laying my life down for hers.

I'd give her anything except the one thing she seems to want so badly: me.

Because she makes me weak.

Makes me vulnerable.

She chips away at the resolute mask of will and determination, that I've built for myself, forged through trial and blood, to reveal the real me underneath my carefully constructed layers of bullshit.

And because of the oath I've taken, to deliver the weak and combat all forms of tyranny, I can't afford any kind of judgment lapse.

Terra's words echo back to me from what seems like a lifetime ago.

_By protecting everyone else, you're also protecting her._

Right.

The magnetic pull is more potent than ever now, and before I have time to think about what I'm doing, I'm sitting in the chair next to her, placing my hand over her much smaller, more delicate one.

The contact threatens to destroy all semblance of self-control and rationality that I have.

_Fuck the Oath._

_ Fuck the Rules._

_ I don't want to be the leader, I just want to be yours._

I shake my head, unwilling to entertain the foolish fantasy for any longer than it takes to think the words.

I took an oath.

I have a responsibility, not only to my friends, and the people of Traverse Town, but the entire world.

Almost like she heard my thoughts, Kairi's eyes flutter open then, distracting me from my inner struggle. "Sora?" her voice is weak and quiet as her small fingers tighten around my hand.

_Fuck..._

I can't do this. Not here. Not now.

I'm vulnerable.

Susceptible.

I cannot face her now—I barely have the strength to resist the urge to kiss her forehead and beg her to forgive me for being such a dick.

"I'm here." I tell her, careful to betray no emotion in my voice.

Hard.

Resolute.

Unyielding.

This is what I have to become.

What I am.

"I'm sorry." I tell her after a moment. She deserves an apology, at least. "For what happened. It was my fault you got hurt."

Kairi's fingers tighten around mine, and from the way her brow furrows, I know she's about to argue with me—her eyebrows have that same tiny dimple between them that she used to have when we were kids. "_Sora_..." Her eyes narrow in a glare that's more cute than it is intimidating.

I untwine my fingers from hers, even though it kills me to do so, and I press my lips together to keep from smirking at her antics. "I have to go." I stand up and take a few steps away, back to where the strawberry scent of her hair isn't clouding my thoughts.

"Sora, wait," Kairi sits up, one hand going to her head as she swoons. "I was stupid. I can train harder. I can be better!"

My heart twinges, agony reverberates through me as I realize that she thinks this is her fault.

"You don't get it," I tell her. "Your skills aren't in question." Tears burn my eyes, and I turn away so she can't see the moisture welling up. "It's like I said before: it's not safe for you to be around me. I can't be with you."

Kairi's voice catches, making me feel even worse for making her cry. "Wh-what are you saying, Sora?"

"Goodbye, Kairi." I tell her and leave the room, because I can't fight her pull and my own emotions at the same time. I don't have the strength for that.

I manage to make it to my car before the first tear slips from my eye.

There's no use fighting them after that.

**Thoughts? Comments? Think it sucked? Should I stick to writing Kairi's POV? Review!**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Script**


	15. Gifts and Greetings

**Disclaimer: I _still_ don't own anything.**

**As always, a massive thank-you to all my Reviewers, your support has been incredible thus far! Thanks! **

**On with the show!**

_**Chapter XV: Gifts and Greetings**_

_**Kairi**_

Waking up is like being saved from drowning.

My senses are all jumbled—a strange mish-mash of sensation that takes forever to sort through.

The last thing I remember is...Sora and Vanitas and the Heartless, and pain, so much pain, and then...nothing.

An all-too-familiar beeping reaches my ears—the sound of a cardiac monitor at the hospital. My scars tingle at the realization of where I am; I spent plenty of time in the hospital after what happened...

The thin, slightly itchy fabric of the sheets is exactly as uncomfortable as I remember it being.

Something creaks next to the bed, probably a chair, and before I can get my tongue under control, I find myself wishing out loud for Sora's presence, even though I know he probably doesn't care enough to come and visit me.

"Sora?" Ugh, my voice sounds terrible...

"I'm here." The sound of his voice is unmistakeable, though there's absolutely no inflection to his tone to clue me in to how he's feeling.

His hand ghosts over the bed and he rests his hand next to mine, and I lace our fingers together. Sora doesn't reject the contact, but it takes him a few moments to return the gesture.

And somehow, in my mind, that translates to: _He cares about me..._

I crack my eyes open, turning to see him, trying to read his expression, but he's looking away from me now, his body tense and rigid.

"I'm sorry." he says. "For what happened. It's my fault you got hurt."

_What?_ How could he possibly think that? "_Sora..._" I put on my best intimidating expression, fully intending to set him straight.

Sora looks mildly amused for a fraction of a second before he pulls away, his face a mask once more. He disentangles his fingers from mine and stands up.

"I have to go." he takes a few steps away, distancing himself from me.

And then, I realize that he's leaving, and I can't let that happen, because if he leaves, he might not come back.

I force myself to sit up, pressing a hand to my head to stop the world from spinning so I can concentrate. "Sora, wait."

The room stabilizes and Sora has this look in his eyes that says his mind is made up, and the rest of my words tumble out in a rush.

"I was stupid. I can train harder. I can be better!"

Sora grimaces, like he's in pain, and his voice is equal parts resolution and incredulity. "You don't get it." his tone isn't quite accusing. "Your skills were never in question." Sora's lips compress, and there's the barest flicker of something like moisture in his eyes before he turns away from me. "It's like I said before: it's not safe for you to be around me. I can't be with you."

The lump in my throat hardens, and tears well up in my eyes, trickling down my cheeks.

_I should have seen this coming..._

And even though it hurts, even though I already know the answer, I ask him anyway: "Wh-what are you saying, Sora?"

Sora stiffens with his back to me. "Goodbye, Kairi."

The tears spill over in earnest then.

I wish I could say I'm dreaming, but I'm in too much pain for that. The physical pain sucks, but I can deal with it—the emotional pain is the worst.

I have nothing but my own self-destructive tendencies to blame for my misery as I stare at the space that Sora just left, like, if I concentrate hard enough, I can will him back to this spot.

My mind closes around his words—they're like acid, the longer I think about them, the more damage they do.

_I can't be with you._

_ Can't be with you._

_ Can't. Be. With. You._

The will behind his statement makes it hurt that much more, that he's that determined to shut me out of his life.

And then, because it just takes too much effort to fight my emotions and my exhaustion, I let myself spiral down into the comfortable blackness of sleep.

_*****DMS*****_

A hand is touching mine when I wake up, but it isn't Sora's—his hands are rough, but this one is small and soft and delicate.

Another hand brushes hair from my forehead and a pair of smooth lips brushes against my forehead.

"Come on, Kai-Kai. Wake up, sleepyhead." Naminé's voice is more a coo than anything else, and if I wasn't so drained, I'd have the energy to be embarrassed. Right now though, I'm just glad she came to see me.

I crack my eyes and almost smile.

Naminé's sitting beside the bed, smiling and holding my hand; Roxas and Yuffie are also in the room.

I try to speak as I sit up, but all that comes out is a harsh rasp—the fact that I haven't had anything to drink in the last few hours definitely hasn't helped my voice at all.

I swallow and try again. "Hey."

Naminé's expression becomes stern as she leans forward to hug me. "Don't scare us like that, okay?"

I nod, because I don't really have a choice.

"Roxas' version of the story makes you seem totally badass." Yuffie grins. "Did you really take out an Invisible one-on-one?"

I smile then—apparently, that's something to be proud of.

Roxas looks incredulous. "What do you mean 'Roxas version of the story'? Kairi was awesome, ask anyone."

Naminé gives Roxas this sad little smile. "Roxas, there were only two other people there, and neither of them are here right now."

"Huh?" I wonder. I mean, I wasn't expecting Sora to return or anything, but I was kind of hoping that Riku would stop by.

"Sora and Riku." Yuffie clarifies. "They're out doing some recon on Ansem's little fortress in Radiant Garden."

Roxas nods. "Riku said he was sorry about not being able to come and visit; he asked me to give you this." he tosses something to me, and then a small stuffed dog lands in my lap—it's identical to the one I left behind during the evacuation.

I hug the thing to my chest, face breaking into a grin. "I love it!"

And it's true.

I'm going to name him 'Fuzzy'.

Roxas hands me a box of candy and an envelope and gently ruffles my hair. "It's good to see that you're feeling better, Kairi. I hate to be a jerk, but I have to get going—Wielder stuff." he explains. "Hurry up and get better; we could use your help out there."

Roxas grins, and it's so much like Sora's old grin that my heart gives a painful twinge.

I force myself to smile back—no need to hold him accountable for Sora's discourtesy. "I'll do my best."

Yuffie punches my playfully in my arm—_ow—_and says her goodbyes too before following Roxas out the door.

Naminé kisses Roxas goodbye, and then hugs me again. "Are you sure you're okay?" _It's okay,_ her eyes seem to be saying. _We can talk now._

I nod. "As well as can be expected. Sora's still being...himself."

Naminé rubs my arm. "He'll come around." she assures me.

The tears are coming now, hot and fast. "I just don't understand why he's a completely civil, nice person to everyone but me."

Naminé hugs me again. "I'm sure he has his reasons."

So am I, but this is getting exhausting.

I can't _do_ this. I can't keep trusting him, only to have him repay me with venom and spite.

"He left this for you." Naminé puts an envelope on the tiny nightstand next to the bed.

She doesn't have to explain who 'he' is, I know automatically that she's talking about Sora.

"I have to get going to work, but I'll come back and visit you afterwards. Your parents are on their way here, too; they're really worried about you." Naminé stands up and brushes imaginary dust off her jeans. She leans forward and kisses my forehead again. "I love you, Kairi."

"I love you, too." and it isn't a lie—she 's the sister I never had.

"Feel better okay? I'll be back after work." Naminé waves, and then she's gone.

Then, it's just me and the envelope.

It's so little a thing—just a folded piece of paper, really—and yet it has so much power over me.

I feel a little ridiculous trying to stare down an envelope, and, since I really have nothing else to do while I wait for my parents to get here, I pull it off the nightstand.

It's unexpectedly heavy, so I tear it open and dump the contents into my lap.

There are only two things inside: a set of car keys and a note in Sora's short, to-the-point script.

_ Figured you could use a replacement. Be safe._

_-Sora_

Oddly enough, the first thing that gets me is his handwriting—it's much neater than most guys'.

And then it hits me.

_He bought me a car?_

I am at once thrilled, annoyed, and thoroughly confused.

Thrilled, because I had no idea how I was going to break the news to my parents that my car was destroyed.

Annoyed—though I know I should be furious, but I can't bring myself to be angry with Sora—because Sora is a complete jerk to me, and then he turns around and buys me a car like that will make up for it. It's not that I'm not grateful—I just don't appreciate him trying to buy my friendship.

And I'm confused, because I don't know what this means for me.

For us.

And then, I decide that in the end, it doesn't really matter, because in some roundabout way, this translates to: _Sora still cares_.

Even if he pretends like he doesn't.

This act washes away his repeated rejection and fills me with hope that our friendship can still be renewed.

It's a long shot, yes.

But there's still a chance.

And that's good enough for me.

**It's a little short I know...Like it? Hate it? Review!**

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**~Script**


	16. Learning Curves

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**As always, thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited this guys are incredible!**

**On with the show!**

_**Chapter XVI: Learning Curves**_

_**Kairi**_

The doctor sends me home with explicit instructions to take it easy over the next couple of days, along with enough painkillers and sleep meds to knock out an elephant.

My parents spend about a half-hour lecturing me about how irresponsible it was of me to not wear a helmet on my bicycle-and I'm thankful that Sora or Riku didn't concoct a more complicated explanation for my injury, because I barely have the energy to keep up with this one as it is.

Somewhere in the middle of the conversation, around the time that mom hugs me for the tenth time and gushes about how glad she is that I'm okay, and dad mellows out a little more, I slump over on the couch-all the medicine the doctor doped me up with before I left the hospital is starting to kick in.

The world fogs, and my mother's request for me to stand up because sleeping on the couch will give me back problems seems to come from a million miles away.

My legs, apparently, are vacationing in the same place as my mother's voice, because when my brain tells them to get up and move, their response is sluggish, lackluster, and entirely unspectacular.

Or, in layman's terms, then only thing I actually manage to accomplish is to fall flat on my face, missing the coffee table on front of the couch by _that_ much.

Despite the fact that the only other people in the room are my parents, and have thus seen me in far more compromising situations, my mother and father's quiet laughter makes me blush.

Before I can protest that I'm fine, and can walk on my own, my father's picking me up like I'm five years old again, and too exhausted to climb the stairs.

"Come on sweetheart, let's get you to bed." Dad says, in a nostalgic tone.

I can barely feel it as we climb the stairs.

"Do you need to use the bathroom or anything?" my father continues, and although I know it's just a reflex, a habit from my younger years, that doesn't make it any less embarassing.

"No, I'm fine."

My parents say their goodnights as my mother pulls the blankets on my bed up to my chin and sets the bottle of painkillers on my nightstand.

At that point, I'm too tired to do anything besides mutter:

"G'night. Love you guys," back to them before surrendering to my medication-induced lethargy.

_*****DMS*****_

_To exist is to suffer._

_I have never felt the truth of those words as viscerally as I do now._

_I have never wished for death before in my entire life, never thought I myself capable of wanting my life to end more than anything._

_I cannot endure this._

_The pain is excruciating, that much is an absolute certainty._

_But if I had to, I could take it._

_The knowledge of what's happening to me makes it that much worse._

_These things are eating me. They're ripping and tearing and biting and gnawing and clawing at me, slicing open my skin until the earth around me turns to a muddy paste because I'm bleeding so much. Their claws scrabble uselessly against the back of my rib cage._

_Gunfire rises above the horrible sounds of agony and dying men, and someone is screaming commands._

_"Hard contact west of checkpoint Bravo. Need immediate medical assistance! Marking position with flare-ah gods, get 'em off me!"_

_There's a _whoosh_ and suddenly, everything is awash in a brilliant red-orange glow._

_The man's screams dissolve into this awful gurgling sound, and then there's nothing but the hissing and clicking of the creatures and my own pitiful sobbing._

_My stomach turns at the sight of the maroon liquid pooling on the ground around me-I didn't know I could bleed so much._

_Dizziness sets in then, followed swiftly by exhaustion, and the cold, unwavering knowledge that I'm about to die._

_Don't give up._

_It's so hard to keep my eyes open. Why is it so hard?_

_Stay awake._

_Stay...awake._

_Stay..._

_"Leave her alone!" Sora's enraged command rips through the night._

_The creatures stop attacking me at the soumd of his voice, and I know I should get up and run, put as much distance between me and these creatures as possible, but I'm just so tired..._

_There a few sharp, brutal-sounding cracks, and a pained intake of breath from Sora, and then all is quiet._

_The sound of feet scrambling for purchase on the ground follows rhe scuffle, and then Sora's beside me, rolling me over and cradling me in his lap._

_"Kairi, oh gods _Kairi_!" his hands are so gentle, and he sounds so horrified._

_It takes an unbelievable effort to force sound out of my mouth, the best I can do is a groan. My eyelids are especially uncooperative, and I only manage to open them halfway._

_Sora's expression runs the gamut of emotions, from elated to terrified."I've got you, Kai. You're safe now. I'll protect you. Just hold on, help's coming." he pulls me closer,and I rest my head on his shoulder._

_He might not be as big or as muscular as Riku, but the cords of muscle are clearly defined beneath his skin-and I realize that he's taken his shirt off to cover me._

_And, just like that, this overwhelming urge to tell him how I feel about him surfaces within me, and I figure that I may as well tell him; I haven't got much to loose considering that there's a very real possibility that I could be dead in a few minutes._

_"Hey, Sora...gotta tell ypu something." I say, pulling back to lok at him. My voice is weak and hoarse, and I worry that he can't hear me._

_But, he doesn't seem to have any trouble understanding me. "Yeah?_

_"I...I like you." There, I said it. No turning back now._

_For a horrible moment, I'm afraid that he's going to say that he doesn't feel the same way, and that thought hurts almost as much as what those creatures have done to me._

_But then Sora smiles and pulls me to him again. "I like you too, Kairi."_

_Just as I'm beginning to fall asleep again, the ambulance rolls up, sirens blaring, and it's lights turn night into day._

_The medics take me from Sora, saying awful-sounding things in low voices. I look back at Sora, wanting nothing more than to hold his hand, to borrow his strength for just a little while longer._

_"Don't go." I beg. "I don't want to be by myself." I'm too scared to be embarrassed by my confession._

_Sora takes my hand, and I feel a little better. "Don't be ridiculous Kairi." he says. "I couldn't leave you even if I wanted to."_

_*****DMS*****_

I feel both refreshed and happy when I wake up the next morning for two reasons.

Firstly, as I discover when I look out the window, Sora's back.

And secondly, my new car is here!

Sora looks up at my window and gives me a jaunty little wave before disappearing under the eaves of the porch.

The doorbell rings then, and I can make out hushed conversation downstairs.

The stairs creak and groan as someone comes up, and then there's a knock on my bedroom door.

"Kairi...Kairi are you decent?" Sora's voice carries the slightest hint of irritation.

I scramble to put on clothes other than my pjs. "Just-just a minute." I throw on jeans and a hoodie and a beat-up pair of sneakers, finger-combing my hair on my way to my bedroom door.

"Hey," I say, pulling him into a hug. "I missed you. Are you okay?"

It takes Sora a moment, but he returns the gesture, albeit a bit stiffly. "I'm fine." Sora answers, and there's a flicker of something almost like guilt behind his eyes when he says:

"How are you feeling?"

"Much better. I think the worst of it is past now." I tell him.

Sora pulls back from me. "Good." The ghost of a smile teases his lips, and then it's gone. "Do you want to see your new car?"

I nod. "Of course I do!"

Sora allows himself an infintesimally small smile. "Alright, let's go."

_*****DMS*****_

My new car is _awesome._

Sora has obviously spared no expense on the vehicle, it's certainly more expensive than anything I could ever hope to afford.

It's a sleek white BMW Z4, but it's a custom model. The interior is black leather, with white accents, but the seats are lightweight bucket seats-the kind you'd find in a car built for street racing. The Wielder emblem is engraved into the center of the seat, adding a stylish flair to the interior.

The dasboard is a high-tech digital thing, the speedometer and tachometer are rimmed with chrome and blue neon lights ring the display. The center console has all kinds of buttons, and a screen that pops up for GPS.

I fit perfectly into the seat, pausing for a moment to enjoy the new-car smell, and it's then that I realize that there's a second gauge on the dashboard marked 'Turbo'.

A closer look reveals that there are a few other modifications; the most prominent of the being a red button with _NOS _stamped onto it.

I put the key in the ignition and attempt to start the car-only the do I realize that the car is a stick shift.

Sora leans on the car and looks at me with barely perceptible apprehension. "Do you like it?" he wonders.

"Absolutely! This thing is _incredible_!"

Sora allows me a glimpse of one of his rare smiles. "I'm glad you like it. Do you want to take it out for a test-drive? There are a few things I'd like to show you...if you're feeling up to it."

I slide behind the wheel and start the engine-the sound is beautiful.

Sora gets into the passenger seat, and then we're off; Sora tells me to head to the school-apparently there's an empty parking lot behind the school where the Wielders practice their driving techniques.

We switch seats when we get there, so Sora can demonstrate what he wants to teach me.

"You might want to buckle up," Sora says, pausing to make sure I do it-and then it's like we're back in this groove, this master/student bond with the-all-too-familiar undercurremt of complete and utter control that Sora exudes.

As soon as the belt clicks into place and I cinch it tight, Sora floors it, slamming through the gears, ripping over the asphalt, engine snarling.

In one smooth motion, Sora pulls the e-brake and sends the car into an effortless slide.

For a terribe moment, I'm worried that Sora and I are both going to die in a fiery car crash, but he's too in-control for that and he eases out of it, and slides into a parking space like he's out for a Sunday drive.

Sora turns to me with a boyish grin on his face, like he's forgotten himself and is just out to have a good time...and then he blinks, and the mask is back.

"Alright, Grimm, now it's your turn." Sora says.

It takes me a moment to realize what he's asking, and then it really hits me, and I know there's no way I can do this.

But I can't back out; I have to be firm, have to prove that I'm good enough and fast enough and tough enough to be a part of his life.

I slide behind the steering wheel, and after a few tries it becomes immediately apparent that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. All I really manage to accomplish os a series of sharp, jerking turns, and although the tires give a few screeches of protest, the card doesn't actually _slide_ anywhere.

Sora's sigh after my fifth fruitless attempt is equal parts exasperation and acceptance and when he asks me to move, his voice doesn't have as much of the bite as it normally does.

However, the real shock comes when Sora scoots the seat all the way back and motions for me to sit in his lap.

A thrill shoots through me, from the tips of my toes to the top of mh head, and I move slowly, like this some kind of surreal waking-dream, and I settle into the space Sora has created for me.

I feel another, slower-burning thrill, a different kind of heat when I realize how perfectly I fit against Sora.

I can hear as well as feel it when Sora swallows hard.

"Alright...I want you to put your feet on the pedals like you would normally do to drive."

I do it, and Sora places his feet gently over mine.

"When you learn something like this, muscle memory is the most important thing. So, I'm going to show you what you need to do." Sora explains, an almost unnoticable catch in his voice.

We're back in the groove again, but this one is more in sync, a tandem coopetation, a perfect marriage of action and reaction.

There is fear in this place too-when his foot pushes mine harder into the accelerator pedal than I would ever dare, my heart tries to batter its way out of my chest, and my stomach takes up residence in my shoes. For an awful moment, I'm afraid I might be sick, but the sensation soon passes.

I catch a glimpse into Sora's inner self as his hand wraps around mine on the e-brake, gentle but firm; I realize that he holds himslf to the same high, uncompromising standard of excellence that he does everyone else-and I have this sense of profound respect for him as he guides me throught the motions to complete the turn.

We're pressed together even tighter at the apex, when the g-forces are the greatest, and in that moment, it's just me and Sora, together, and it feels so _right._

And then the car slows and stops, and together, becomes awkward, because we haven't really spent any time together since the invasion of Destiny Islands, and the time we have been together has been to gritty; we've been too focused on not dying, on not failing in our endeavor to 'deliver the weak' to really get to know each other.

Impulse takes me then, as I lean back against him, soaking in his strength, and I find mysef asking:

"Do you want to come over for dinner, or something?"

I'm so busy being stunned at my own boldness and berating my stupid, masochistic tendencies for setting me up for failure and misery _again, _that I almost miss Sora's response:

"Sure,"

And then I'm like: "What?" Because there's no way I could have heard that correctly.

"Sure, I'd like that." Sora reiterates.

And all I can do is smile at him like a complete moron.

"Great!" I say finally.

I allow myself a tiny bit of hope, even though I know this attempt to connect with Sora will fail like all the rest.

Maybe, things are looking up after all.

**Thoughts, comments, suggestions? Like the story? Review!**

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**~Script**


	17. My Date, and Other Disasters

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except copious amounts of Red Bull.**

**As always, thanks to all my readers for your support. I'm glad you all are enjoying the story so much, this story would not be possible without your support.**

**I apologize for the delay between posts, but I was about halfway done with this chapter when I realized that there were some major continuity issues, and thus had to scrap the whole thing and start over in the interest of delivering a quality chapter.**

**Also, I apologize in advance in the event that I miss correcting a few typos during proofreading; I'm writing from a tablet now, and it's easier to make mistakes when you can't feel the individual keys.**

**On with the show!**

_**Chapter XVII: My Date, and Other Disasters**_

_**Kairi**_

Part of me wonders if the Wielders had to take an etiquette or diplomacy course as part of their training-most guys aren't this thoughtful, or this punctual.

Sora arrives promptly at six with a bouquet of red roses on one hand and a single white rose in the other.

He's dressed to impress in a button up shirt, neat, pressed slacks and clean canvas sneakers. Sora has also forgone the crown necklace that he never goes without in favor of a classy silver watch; and although his hair is still incredibly spiky, he's managed to comb it into some semblance of order.

"Hello, Sora," my mother says as she opens the door for him.

"Good evening, Mrs. Grimm." Sora replies, turning on the charm with a reserved smile. "Thank you for having me." he extends the bouquet of red roses to my mother. "You have a lovely home, by the way."

_Why can't he act like this when we're alone?_ I wonder, just as my mother says:

"Well thank you, Sora, that's very kind of you to say."

Sora nods.

And then my dad walks into the room and claps Sora on the shouder during a manly handshake-if it weren't for the obvious age difference, I might mistake Sora for on of dad's college buddies that still come over every other Sunday night to play poker and watch football.

"Put 'er there, son!" My father bellows good-naturedly as he and Sora shake hands. My dad beams and looks at Sora like he's the son he never had. "How the hell've you been? Gods, it's been ages!"

Sora nods, and the overwhelming sense of camraderie makes me want to be sick. "I'm good, thanks; and you? Did you see last night's game? The Steelers might go all the way this year."

"Hopefully," Sora admits before turning to me.

His eyes look me over, and there's a hint of something that I might call lust in his eyes if it were less refined; maybe it's respect...

In any case, his gaze makes me wish I'd worn something classier than a pair of skinny jeans and a hoodie with Gir on it.

At least until he says:

"You look absolutely stunning tonight, Kairi." and smiles at me.

My face is suddenly on fire, and I struggle to come up with an intelligent response for a moment, before finally settling on: "Thanks,"

And then suddenly, inexplicably, I'm furious with him.

There's a horrible moment where I think I might be developing some kind of bipolar disorder, and then I realize that I have a perfectly good reason to be angry with him.

Because, as much as I wish this was real, it's all an act.

Sora's feelings are nothing but a sham, a façade, a ruse to make everyone think he's a decent human being.

What on earth earth was I thinking, inviting him here?

In that instant, I want nothing more than to slug him, but I manage to rein in my anger; at least until he starts handing out the flowers.

The red roses go to my mother, and-shocker-the single white blossom is mine. I can't help but feel that this is some kind of nod to my fragile, inferior condition, and the anger is too much to bear then.

I toss the flower onto the floor and give Sora my best murderous glare.

"Asshole." I sneer, and I'm too upset to be apalled at cursing, let alone doing so in front of my parents.

My father's eyebrows shoot up, and my mother's mouth twists into a disapproving frown, and Sora looks a little surprised as well.

I realize that if I have to stand here and let them scold me, I really _am _going to lose it, so I flee the scene before I can do anything else stupid.

My feet lead me back to my room and I take a great deal of satisfaction as the door slams hard enough to rattle the frame.

I release my pent-up tension in a gust of breath-I really _do _feel better now.

But, Sora can always be counted upon to play havoc with my emotions, and my own masochistic tendencies tip the scales in his favor when he knocks on my door.

"Kairi...Kairi are you okay?" I can't see Sora's face, so I can't tell if the tenderness in his voice is genuine.

"Go away."

"Kairi. Whatever it is that I did to offend you, I'm sorry."

That's it.

The anger inside me demands motion and before I can consciously consider my actions, I'm ripping open the door, and the flat of my palm smacks into the side of Sora's face.

"You selfish, manipulative, insensitive, disrespectful, oblivious, self-centered, egotistical jerk! Don't even _try_ and pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about! You of all people should know!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Kairi." Sora's offended now, and I feel a jolt of spiteful joy at having managed to elicit an actual emotional response from him. "I'm only here because you wanted me to be here. I thought this would be an opportunity to start rebulding our friendship, but if your only intention is to spend the evening insulting me, then I'll see myself out."

"How dare you! Are you seriously trying to pin this on me? I invited you over because I _like_ you, you blockhead! Are you really so dense that you didn't notice that?"

Sora's quiet now, and I can't tell whether his silence is out of surprise or irritation. The bed springs creak as he sits down next to me.

"I guess I'm the real idiot, for believing you liked me-"

Sora silences my rant by crushing his lips to mine, a tried-and-true method of persuasion that is still extremely effective. I lose myself to the fever-mesh of our lips, whining when he pulls away.

"But, but you gave my mom the red roses..." Now that I've actually said it, it does seem to be a rather foolish thing to be upset about-really, I was jealous of my own mother!

This fact, unfortunately, is not lost on Sora, because he smiles and says:

"Jealousy doesn't suit you, Kairi...Maybe you should find out what the flower means before you assault me."

I blush. "Yeah...Sorry about that..."

"I know I haven't been the easiest person to be around since we saw each other again, and I'm sorry for that. I am trying to be better, I just need some time." Sora says this slowly, deliberately, like he's admitting some great transgression.

I pull him in for another, slower kiss, a gentle one, one that I hope says 'I love you' and 'I forgive you' rather than 'I want to jump your bones'.

Sora returns the kiss just as gently before pulling away and giving me a long, level look. _You're not out of the woods yet._

I finger a stray strand of hair anxiously as I realize that my parents are probably a) worried about/skeptical of Sora's and my activities in my room, especially considering the amount of time we've been up here, and b) dissapointed at my vulgar outburst.

"Guess I'd better get down there and face the music, huh?"

Sora just gives me this sly grin.

I get up and head for the door, resigning myself to a sound lecturing from my parents, and I am thoroughly surprised when Sora gives me a playfull swat on the backside.

The sting brings with it equal amounts of shame and pleasure, and unsurprisingly, I'm blushing furiously.

I am simultaneously shocked, giddy, and confused at his sudden flirtatiousness, and despite my best efforts to call him out or come up with a witty response, all that comes out of my mouth is:

"Sora!"

"Oh hush Kai; you know you liked it." Sora winks and follows up with an absolutely devilish grin.

_Gods, he's handsome..._

If I were able to organize my thoughts to respond in an intelligent fashion, I'd probably smack him again, but since my brain is currently stoned on endorphines all I can do is splutter incoherently and march back down the stairs.

"There you are! I was beginning to thimk I was going to have to send in a search party." Mom remarks as she pulls the lasagna out of the oven, which is mom-code for: _Any longer, and I would've given you another lesson the birds and the bees._

"Sorry." I tell her, though my apology is directed at dad too. "I didn't mean to yell earlier, or to use that kind of language-it's been a rough couple of days..." I add, hoping they'll drop it now.

Mom nods. "It's alright sweetheart, everyone slips up now and then...Where's Sora?"

Right on cue, Sora appears in the doorway to the kitchen.

"My apologies, I had to visit the restroom." He grins disarmingly.

We all take our seats at the table-my bottom protests upon contact with the hardwood, and I have to quash the urge to kick Sora under the table when he catches my wince. Dad looks at Sora, serious as a heart attack, and says:

"So, Sora, what have you been up to all this time?"

_Let the inquisition begin..._

Sora's face settles into the mask that I loathe, the life in his eyes muted by his unwillingness to give a straightforward answer to my father's questioning. "Oh, this and that. Nothimg special, really. Just trying to get all my schoolwork done in time for gradution."

Dad nods. "That's understandable...Do you have any plans after graduation?"

Sora takes a bite, chews, swallows, and sips his water before answering. "I was thinking of going to the Traverse Town Police Academy next fall. Something has to be done about all these Heartless gallavanting around."

There's a stiff silence-my dad clearly wasn't expecting Sora to be so proactive.

"That's true," Dad says around a bite of lasanga. "And what do you do for work, Sora?"

Sora's jaw stiffens infintesimally, and I can tell he's irritated that my father won't come out and say what's on his mind. "I work for a private security contractor."

"That's pretty impressive for a young man like yourself." my father says. "So what exactly does that involve?"

Sora's gaze flickers to mine, and although his eyes read: _don't patronize me_, his mouth says:

"While I appreciate your intrerest in my profession Mr. Grimm, I'm not really allowed to talk about it...I get the sense that there's something you'd like to ask me, sir, and as much as I respect your diplomacy, I'm not really one for beating around ths bush." Sora says calmly.

Dad bristles, and I realize instantly that even though Sora has been nothing but respectful, he's found a way to take offense at Sora's latest comment.

"Fine then. What are your intentions concering my daughter."

"Richard!" Mom exclaims, no doubt about to intervne on Sora's behalf to save him from being put on the spot.

Sora holds up a hand politely. "It's alright Mrs. Grimm, I can understand why you and your husband would be concerned." Sora turns to my father, his face the epitome of _serious._

"I have the utmost respect for you and your household, Mr. Grimm, and I apologize for my frankness. I'm sure you already know that Kairi is a very close friend of mine, and I care deeply for her. I'd like to be as close to her as she'll allow me to be, with your permission of course."

I know the 'as close as she'll allow me to be' bit is for my father's peace-of-mind, because Sora knows how I feel about him-he'd better, given the amount of time and energy we've spent arguing over the subject.

My father's eyes narrow shrewdly, but before he can say anything else, Sora's phone rings-a distinct triple-beep that can only mean one thing.

Sure enough, the mask is back, and his body is a rigid testament to his strength of will.

"I'm so sorry to run out on you all like this, but there's an emergency at work,'and I have to go take care of a few things." Sora makes eye contact with me for a few extra seconds so I know he's speaking in code.

"Thank you so much for having me; dinner was delicious." Sora says. "I'll see you at school, Kairi." Sora's out the door and gone before anyone can say anything else.

I scoot my chair back from the table and take my plate to the sink.

Duty calls.

**Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions? Review!**

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**~Script**


	18. Ultimatum

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_**Chapter **__**XVIII:**__** Ultimatum**_

_**Kairi**_

Sora climbs through my open window lithe and silent as a wraith dressed in his full Wielder gear.

He closes the window and leans against the sill just as I finish lacing up my boots.

I'm glad for the fact that it's still early in the fall; soon it will be too cold for Sora to sneak into my room like this.

"I need to talk to you, Kairi." Sora's tone is still firm and slightly menacing, but there's an undercurrent of vulnerability there that I've never heard before.

"Huh?" I'm really only half-listening to him, these boots are just as complicated to tie as they are to lace properly.

Sora places a gentle hand on my shoulder, a gesture that reads bad news. "Kairi." he says again, gently, like I'm so fragile that his words will break me, which is more than a little irritating-I'm not made of glass.

"Kairi, I need you to stay behind on this one." Sora says.

"What? I'm perfectly fine. Why can't I come along? I have just as much right to be there as any of the other Wielders."

"I know you do. And I've messed up and gotten myself hurt in the field before-it's not your skills that are in question-"

"You keep saying that; what exactly do you mean by that?" I interrupt, tired of his enigmatic comments.

"I mean that I know you can handle yourself out there, but _I_ can't focus if there's a possibility that you might get hurt, I can't be responsible for something happening to you-I care about you too much." Sora admits slowly, like he's revealing something he knows he shouldn't be.

"You have a funny way of showing it."

Sora nods. "I'm trying..." he says, his eyes downcast. "Just be patient with me. Please."

"Well, maybe if you stopped trying to be a superhero all the time, we'd have more time to be together...If that's what you want; I mean, you said you did say you wanted to be close to me..." I'm suddenly afraid that he'll reject me, even though I really have no basis for such a fear.

"I did say that, and I meant it. I just..." Sora rakes a hand through his hair, and fidgets nervously. "I'm not good at this, at being with you. I want to be, but I don't know how; and I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already have."

I nod, although seeing Sora so nervous is a tad bit amusing, given how well put-together he normally is.

"How can I do better?"

It's nice to be in control for once, for _me_ to be the one making _him_ squirm. And so, even though I know it's mean, I let him sweat for a minute before answering him.

"Well, for starters, you could try kissing me when we're _not_arguing." I tell him, leaning closer so our lips brush together when I speak.

Sora makes a strangled sound-this kind of intimacy is clearly uncharted territory for him. He recovers after a moment and leans closer to press his lips to mine.

At first, the kiss is tender, sweet, and gentle.

And then, just like that, it becomes a battle, a fiery, tempestuous merging of flesh and passion and desire.

It becomes immediately apparent that we're rapidly approaching a line, as this heated exchange intensifies, I realize that if this continues any longer, we might both end up doing something we'll regret.

But there's another part of me that says that it's my turn to do the manipulating, that I've been docile and complacent for too long, and unfortunately that's the side of me that's _winning._

So, instead of doing the smart, _sensible_ thing and stopping, I'm flattening him against the bed and kissing him harder and more urgently, crushing myself against him. I'm not going to lose this time.

Sure enough, Sora groans and pushes me gently away, gasping for air.

Kairi-1; Sora-0.

I win.

"_That_, Sora, is how you're supposed to kiss someone."

Sora smiles then, a real, genuine Sora-smile that slowly morphs into a smirk. "Is that the best you can do?"

I scoff. "Not even close. But if you_really_want to see what I'm capable of, you're going to have to let me come with you."

Sora's expression sours. "You drive a hard bargain, Grimm..." he finally relents, proving that beneath his tough-as-nails exterior, despite his incredible battle prowess, he's still a hormonal teenage boy.

I blow him a kiss and put a little extra snap into my hips as I saunter over to the open window.

"Are you coming or what?"

"Kairi..." Sora's voice is cold and hard and firm again. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to stay here."

His eyes are so pleading and vulnerable and piercing, and I realize that he's serious about this-he truly, honestly believes that he's doing what's best for me.

And, even though I might not like it, I can at least respect that.

"We're just going to do some more reconaissance with Riku, so you won't be missing out on anything important. I'll be back in the morning."

I pull him closer for a quick kiss, then press my forehead to his, staring into his eyes to make sure he understands that I am completely, one-hundred-percent serious when I tell him:

"Be careful,"

Sora nods, but there's a flash of dishonesty in his eyes when he pulls away."I will. See you in the morning." And then, as quickly and silently as he arrived, he's out the window and gone, swallowed by the night.

I sit on the bed for a moment, as irritation festers in my guts, twisting like a living thing, gnawing at me like a slow and miserable wasting disease. I can't quite put my finger on these sudden feelings of resentment until my brain finally catches up to my emotions and finally supplies the answer.

_He lied to you._

And in that moment, I go from slightly annoyed, to flat-out pissed off. I finish lacing my boots with a violence that surprises even me, and before I have time to really think about what I'm about to do, I'm sneaking out the back door and drifting down the block with the car in neutral, so my parents don't hear the car start.

The engine purrs to life, and I floor the accelerator, and then I'm burning up the pavement toward Radiant Garden.

_*****DMS*****_

The car ride gives me time to think, though that ism't necessarily a good thing, because the more time I have to think about Sora and his penchant for making decisions on other people's behalf-mine specifically-the angrier I get.

It occurs to me thay I've been extremely-dare-I-say _excessively_-patient with him and rather than reciprocate, or show that he apprciates said patience by putting forth decent effort to act like a decent human being-he has abused my leniency.

As much as I adore him, I'm beginning to think that he's not worth my time-he'd better shape-up. _Fast._

I'm both a little surprised, and hurt to find the Wielders assembled on full force-Yuffie included.

The hurt quickly becomes anger, and suddenly, my blood burns with righteous indignation.

I can literally feel my eyes pulse with rage, and I pull up next to Sora, Riku, and Roxas' cars, smirking as I wait for Sora to look at me and see _exactly_ how furious I am with him.

I get out and lean against my car, listening as he goes over the attack plan with the rest of the Wielders.

"I'm sorry to have to wake you all, but this can't wait. Radiant Garden is almost completely overrun by Heartless now, and Ansem's not going to stop there. He needs to be...dealt with, and he isn't going to expect us back so soon after our last attempt. RikuRoxas have been keeping an eye on things, and Ansem's getting sloppy. The military presence e has been almost completely wiped out, so there's hardly any security at his compound anymore. This is our chance to end it." Sora explains grimly.

My stomach churns.

"End...as in 'kill'?" Yuffie wonders.

This is real now; I can tell from the expression on Sora's face that he isn't joking in the slightest.

Sora nods, and in that moment he looks so tired, so utterly numb and exhausted that I forget how angry I'm supposed to be with him; I want nothing more than to hug him-but I can't do that if I want to keep the element of surprise.

"I don't like it either, Yuffie. But this is what we do. We've sworn an oath to protect those who can't protect themselves, and sometimes that means doing some pretty ugly things." Sora explains quietly.

"Is that what you were trying to do with me? 'Protect those who cannot protect themselves'?"

Sora's expression shades toward one of utter shock for a split-second before he recovers himself and his face becomes a grim mask once more.

_Damn__straight,__skippy._

I did that.

I _scared_ him.

Sora's response is acerbic and sharp-his eyes flash with tempered violence a sort of dangerous, calculating intelligence that reminds me why he's the leader, the kind of audacious cocksureness that reads _don't__mess__with__me._

"Excuse me for a moment." Sora almost growls before he stalks over to me.

"What are you doing here?" he demands. I asked you to stay in Traverse Town."

"Oh, come off it Sora! You did ask me to stay, and I considered it...until I realized that you lied to me." We're doing this strange whisper-yelling thing, and I have to take a few breaths to calm down before I really start yelling at him.

"Kairi-" Sora begins, but I cut him off.

"Be quiet."

Deep breath.

Deep, calming breath.

"You need to be quiet." I step closer, all fire and spite, in his face.

"It's my turn to talk now." another step, and he's up against the wall now. "I have been so incredibly patient with you. You've been a complete jackass lately and I put up with it because I like you. But you're on some seriously thin ice right now, Sora." I lean closer to him, so my lips brush against his when I talk. It isn't quite a kiss, but it's as close as he's going to get for a long time if he doesn't shape up.

"You said that you wanted to be close to me. And I want you to be. But _Sora...gods as my_ witnesses, if you do not get your shit together, right now. I'm gone. I mean it."

Fear.

Real, honest fear shows on Sora's face for the first time. "I'm sorry—" he blurts.

"Don't tell me. Show me."

Sora nods once, and swallows hard. "Alright. I will." He takes a step back and shakes his head like he's trying to psych himself up.

And then I do kiss him. It's just a quick peck, something to say 'thank you' with, I suppose.

"What you were talking about before...the killing. Have you ever..."

"Yes. Once." Sora offers by way of response. "During the evacuation, some of us got put into refugee camps for a while. They were dirty and underfunded and we ran out of food before too long. Some psycho pulled a gun on a little girl for the leftover crackers she was eating, and...I did what I had to do."

"That's terrible." I'm not really sure what else to say to that.

Sora nods again. "It was. And I learned something from it: It doesn't take much bravery to kill someone, but it takes a lot more to know where to draw the line. Even though he's done some atrocious things, Ansem is still a human being, and I wouldn't even consider taking this kind of action if there were another way. Once you start forgetting that, once you stop thinking of your enemy as a person, you're dangerously close to crossing the line between good and evil." Sora says.

I nod, because really, what else do you do after someone says something like that?

And then we rejoin the rest of the group.

I have to clamp down on a fresh surge of anger at the knowledge that the rest of the Wielders are assembled in full force—even Yuffie's here.

Everyone is hunkered down in the ruins of what I think used to be a library, if the wrecked bookshelves and the ruined volumes strewn across the floor are any indication.

"Hey, Kairi! Glad you could make it!" Yuffie gives me a playful sock on the shoulder-_ow_-in greeting, like we _aren't_about to go to war with the cruelest and most devious threat on the planet.

"'Sup?" Riku says, followed immediately by Roxas':

"Yo'"

"Hey guys," I respond. "What'd I miss?"

"Not much." Riku responds.

"The plan is pretty simple: we get in, take Ansem out, and then haul ass out of there before the rest of his forces realize what happened." Sora explains, his face a dark mask of determination.

"Uh, Kairi...You weren't planning on _fighting_in that, were you?"

I look myself over, not sure what could be wrong with my outfit. "I was...is there something wrong?"

Riku reaches into a satchel on the ground by hs foot, and tosses a box to me.

"Your uniform," he explains as I open the box and start unfolding the set of garments inside.

The long-sleeved shirt is made of a tough, form-form fitting material, and both it and the jacket have heavy plastic padding in the elbows. The pants are of similar construction, with padding in the knees, and the boots are tall and stiff, no doubt made to protect the wearers feet from impact.

"The shirt and jacket are bulletproof, and the entire uniform is flame resistant." Sora explains, pointing to a small knife strapped to the outside of my right boot. "And it comes with a combat knife, just in case."

"Thanks," I tell him. "be right back." And then, I slip off to change.

I switch outfits quickly, filled with a profound sense of pride when I see my name in silver letters on the front of my jacket.

I return to the huddle and sit down on a battere4d desk as Sora outlines the plan.

"H-hey Grimm! Lookin' pretty badass." Roxas says, giving me a thumbs-up.

Sora shoots him a withering look and Roxas falls silent.

"Okay, so here's the plan: we're going to need a distraction. Riku, Yuffie, that's where you come in: I need you to create the biggest explosion you possibly can at this point."

Riku bumps fists with Sora and pats Yuffie on the shoulder. "Let's hit it, kid."

Yuffie grins, and the two of them vanish into the night.

Sora points to the map on the table; I recognize it from the last time we were here.

"Roxas, I need you to set up a trap at the main gate, when whatever's left of Ansem's guys try to get through, blow 'em to hell."

Roxas gives a jaunty salute. "Can do, boss." and then he's gone too.

"What do you want me to do?" I ask.

"You're with me, Kairi. It's time to end this."

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	19. Good and Evil

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_**Chapter**____**XIX:**____**Good**____**and**____**Evil**_

_**Kairi**_

Cold.

Silent.

If I wanted to, I could cut the tension in the air with a knife.

Sora and I are perched on top of a massive skyscraper across from Ansem's complex.

Sora cinches his gauntlets tighter around his forearms and adjusts his gloves. "Are you afraid?" he asks quietly. His voice is tense, reserved, barely above a whisper.

"I'm fine," my voice is harder, more acerbic than I mean for it to be, but maybe now Sora will get a clue.

Sora nods, his brow furrowing like he's not buying it, but I just glare back at him, daring him to question me-he's already on thin ice, and, as much as I hate to admit it, part of me _wants_ him to cross the line.

"I don't doubt your abilities for a second, Kairi. I trust you completely." Sora says.

"I don't need your pity, Sora." I snap. "And I've had enough of your double-entendres and word games. Say what you mean."

Sora's gaze flashes with tempered violence-I've clearly struck a nerve-but he reins himself in, pressing his lips together in a firm line and regarding me in stony silence.

"Nothing to say? Fine." I cross my arms and turn away from him.

"Kairi..." Sora replies in a voice that is equal parts hurt and indignation.

"Save it." I bite back.

Sora leans over and presses his lips to the side of my neck, all smoldering passion and charm.

Heat stirs inside me, and it takes every ounce of willpower I can muster to pull away from him. "No."

Sora looks at me, stung.

"I can't do this with you, Sora. Not right now. Not until you figure out what you want. I'm not a toy that you can play with whenever you're feeling emo."

Sora nods."You're right. You're absolutely right. I know I haven't been easy to deal with lately...but I am trying. And, I know I sound like a broken record, but I've been at this for a while, ant it's going to take a while for me to get used to the thought of you being in harm's way. After what happened in Destiny Islands...I can't go through that again, an I'm sure you don't want to either."

I sigh, unable to hold onto my anger in the face of Sora's heartfelt apology. I thaw and, against my better judgement, plant a kiss on his cheek. I rest my head on his shoulder, snuggling up to him. "I know. I'm sorry I yelled at you; that wasn't fair."

"'S okay. In all fairness, I was being sort of a douchebag. Sorry."

I kiss him again, forgiving him for real, and then, as much as I would love to sit here with him until the end of time, I have to ask:

"So, what's the plan?"

Sora just grins, a wild, boyish smile. "Kick ass."

_*****DMS*****_

__I rub my arms through the sleeves of my jacket, trying in vain to keep warm despite the plummeting temperature. My breath fogs in front of my face.

Sora, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be affected by the harsh, numbing cold, but then again, he's probably used to it by now.

"So...How exactly are you planning to...get this guy?" I wonder.

Sora points to the opulent glass dome on top of Ansem's complex. "As far as we can figure, that's Ansem's war room. When we were here doing recon last week, every time there was a major Heartless movement within the city, Ansem was in there watching over things. We're going to jump in through the dome and take him out."

I look down at the dome, and whistle softly. _That's a long way down..._

Sora picks up on my unease. "It's not as far down as it looks. It's about a twenty foot drop, but the glass will slow us down. Roll with the impact when you land and you'll be fine."

I nod, and swallow hard.

"We're in position." Riku's bass tones crackle over my radio earpice.

"Go ahead." Sora replies.

A massive explosion splits the night.

The shockwave rips through the city, setting of car alarms within a block's radius as enormous tongues of flame shoot into the sky, bathing the cityscape in an angry reddish glow.

Down below us, I can just barely make out the glint of Roxas' Keyblades in the waning moonlight—he's completely surrounded by Heartless, but he seems to be holding his own for now.

"Uh, guys? No rush or anything..." Roxas pauses and the figure down below me unleashes a spectacular counterattack, flipping and twisting and whirling, Keyblades flashing in a visceral, epic display of skill and prowess.

Roxas is slightly out-of-breath when his voice comes over the radio again. "But I could use some help when you get a minute."

"On our way," Yuffie's voice is completely devoid its normal teasing spirit, and I find it unnerving, to say the least.

Sora peers down into the glass as Ansem and Vanitas stide purposefully into the room, and then looks at me. "Ready?"

I nod, though I don't feel ready in the least. "Ready."

"On the count of three,"

"Alright.

With that, he clips his keychain to his Keyblade and takes a few steps back to get a running start.

I follow his lead and move to stand next to him.

"One,"

Deep breath.

"Two,"

_Fearless in the face of death..._

"Three!"

Sora and I sprint for the precipice in tandem, and launch ourselves over the edge at the exact same time.

I have to clamp down on the urge to scream—it's not every day that I go jumping off buildings.

The wind noise is incredible, and the force of it stings my eyes.

The seconds yawn as we get closer to the glass dome, and I try not to imagine what might happen if the glass is reinforced.

The space between heartbeats feels like an eternity as my feet touch down on the glass. The impact is unbelievable—I've haven't even completed my landing and already I can feel the impact reverberating through my bones, and up into my teeth and jaw.

_Please break... _

The glass shatters with a melodious, crystallaine sound, but I don't have time to really appreciate it, because I'm rolling out of the impact.

The padding in the knees and elbows of my uniform takes the worst of the fall, but there's no doubt in my mind that I'll be feeling it tomorrow.

Time slows down as Ansem whirls away from the massive computer display on the other side of the room, his face constricted in horror.

Vanitas steps out of the shadows, his helmetless face twisted in a grim sneer, his wicked blade cocked back to deliver a devestatingly lethal blow to Sora's head when he comes out of his roll.

Sora slips the strike effortlessly, bringing his Keyblade around in a vicious counter-hack, but Vanitas is already gone.

Vanitas brings his weapon around in a double-handed hack, and I barely have time to block it before it removes my head from my shoulders. The force of the blow sends me stumbling back, but Sora is all over Vanitas before he can capitalize on his advantage.

Sora presses Vanitas back across the floor in a savage assault—both of them are utterly, brutally relentless, and there's this dreadfully beautiful symphony about it all; when Sora lands a pommel strike that splits open Vanitas' cheek, it's poetry in motion.

I throw myself into the fight without a second's hesitation when Sora falters, and I'm immediately thankful for the Wielder's grueling training regimen because it gives me the strength and agility I need to keep up with Vanitas' blows.

I manage to slip a snap-kick under his guard, and the breath explodes out of him in a rush. I don't even have time to be satisfied with landing a blow, because his brutal backhand sends me reeling back, dazed.

I can taste blood, but I make myself to grit through the pain and focus—the light bleeding in from the windows doesn't make it any easier.

Sora and Vanitas are toe-to-toe now, blades flashing and ringing and flashing in a cacophony of metallic screeching.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Ansem making for the door.

I line up my aim and hurl my Keyblade; the weapon sails into the security keypad by the door, and the door slams shut in Ansem's face.

I realize that while Ansem is trapped in here with us—unless he decides to jump out the window—I'm also defenseless.

_Crap._

That's all I have time to see, because Vanitas is on top of me now—my gauntlets are the only things between me and his blade, and the power of his blows is incredible.

Between Vanitas' fast-and-furious blows, I can make out Sora standing over Ansem.

I can't hear him over the sound of metal on metal, but it looks like he mouths the words 'I'm sorry' before his blade moves in one smooth, decisive strike.

I shiver as my mind fills in the blanks.

Sora leaps at Vanitas' back as he hammers away at my weakening defenses,

Vanitas' face splits in a savage grin, and then I realize that this is exactly what he wants.

"No!"

Vanitas whirls, and his blow takes Sora cleanly in the side, and he crumples to thre ground, his face contorted in agony.

Before I have time to really think about what I'm doing, I'm shouting: "Man down in Ansem's war room! I repeat Sora is down!"

"On our way," Riku and Roxas respond at the same time.

Sora tosses me his Keyblade, and then his eyes flutter shut.

Bloodlust consumes me as my fist closes around the handgrip, and then I'm driving Vanitas back across the room in a fury.

Surprise flickers across Vanitas' face for an instant, and then he recovers, turning my blows away with maddening deftness.

"Come on, Grimm...Is that all you've got?" he sneers, and I realize that his voice is surprisingly similar to Sora's and I falter, recovering just in time to avoid having him crush my skull.

"You haven't seen anything yet." I snarl, and throw myself at him with everythingI have.

We're toe-to-toe, blades ringing and flashing, whispering past , hairsbreadth from cleaving flesh from bone in this twisted, intimate, intricate dance.

Sweat pours into my eyes, and I'm momentarily blinded.

That's all it takes.

Vanitas capitalizes on his advantage and sweeps my leg; I tumble to the floor. I close my eyes, trembling as I wait for him to finish me.

But he doesn't.

"You know, that's really kind of pathetic," Vanitas says slowly

I open my eyes so I can see what he's playing at, and I'm shocked when he puts his Keyblade on the floor and kicks it away behind him.

"Screw you," I snap, sitting up. "If you're going kill me, get on with it; I have places to be."

Vanitas smirks. "You wish. And to be honest, I really don't want to kill you, it'd be a waste of such beauty..."

Despite myself, I blush.

And then, I remember where I am and who I'm talking to. "What the hell? You just tried to kill my boyfriend and I, and now you're trying to _flirt_ with me? You really _are_ crazy!

Vanitas shrugs. "Boyfriend? Highly unlikely, given the way he treats you. He's kind of a dick, if you ask me. _I'd_ never treat you like that."

I can't look at him—his golden gaze is too penetrating, to intelligent, too confident. Even though he's evil, he's also right, in this instance. "How—" I wonder.

Vanitas smirks again and folds his arms. "You think your Sora is the only person who can watch people? He needs to brush up on his technique if he really wants to get the drop on someone.  
I get a burst of intuition. "You knew we were coming," I realize. "Why didn't you warn Ansem?"

Vanitas lets out a dark chuckle. "You're smarter than you look," he sneers. "I didn't warn him because he had served his purpose—I was going to kill him anyway, it was only a matter of time. You guys did my job for me, so I suppose I should thank you for that..."

I stare him down, trying to figure out what kind of game he's playing—he's so nonchalant about everything, and I can't imagine why he would lie about such a thing...

"Why..."

Vanitas pinches the bridge of his nose. "Where does he_ find_ these people," he mutters. "Look, red, let's be straight for a minute. I like you, and I really_ ,really_ don't want to have to kill you, but if you keep hanging around with Sora, you're not going to leave me much choice in the matter."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I wonder.

The door shudders against the frame—Riku, Yuffie, and Roxas must be here.

"It means you're not seeing the big picture. How many people in history invaded other countries just because they were bored?" Vanitas asks.

"Um, none." I'm still not exactly sure what he's getting at.

"Exactly. The invasions are all just the first step in Master Xehanort's plan to unleash Kingdom Hearts. We're all just pawns really, pieces in a much bigger game."

"And you're content with that?" I ask him, trying to make him see reason.

Vanitas laughs, an cunning, unstable sound. "Fuck, no! I'm offing Xehanort first chance I get. Poor old bastard's got no idea what he's messing with, getting into all this 'Kingdom Hearts' shit."

"Kingdom Hearts?"

"It's like Pandora's Box, mixed with the forbidden fruit, all wrapped up in a modern-day Atlantis." Vanitas explains. "It's supposedly a source of great power and wisdom for whoever finds it. But to access that kind of power...the human mind can't withstand that kind of knowledge, and, if the legends are true, when Xehanort cracks that thing open—bye-bye civilization."

My mind is reeeling.

The door shudders again—they're almost through.

"Sora didn't tell you any of this, did he?" Vanitas says, looking at me expectantly.

"No..." I answer before I can stop myself.

Vanitas chuckles sadly. "Figures. You're his pawn. His plaything. He's keeping you out of the loop for a reason, Red. I 'd be willing to bet that he didn't tell you that the Wielders are after the same thing, either."

I shake my head. "You're wrong about him. About Sora. You don't know him at all."

Vanitas chuckles. "Am I?" He stoops to pick up his Keyblade.

"Yes," My answer is firm and unwavering—I know he's just trying to manipulate me, even if some of what he says is true.

"So certain..." Vanitas leans closer and plants a tentative kiss on my lips—I'm too stunned to react before he pulls away.

"Do me a favor Red-"

"My name is _Kairi_," I interrupt.

"_Kairi,_" Vanitas corrects himself.

The door shudders once more.

"Hold on, Kairi, We're almost through!" Riku shouts.

Vanitas unleashes a fireball from his palm, shattering the window. In the firey backlight, I realize how alike he and Sora are.

Vanitas is paler and more muscular than Sora, and his black hair and amber eyes are different from Sora's, but their facial structure is very similar.

"Catch you later," Vanitas grins.

The door gives way and Riku, Yuffie, and Roxas burst into the room.

Vanitas gives me a jaunty, two-fingered salute. "Remember what I said."

And then, he vanishes into the night.

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	20. Blurring the Lines

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_**Chapter XX: Blurring the Lines**_

_**Kairi**_

The sharp blast of cold air buffeting me through the gaping hole that used to be a window jerks me back into reality.

"What happened?" Riku wonders calmly, but the words don't register with me.

Sora's crumpled on the floor, his uniform darkening with what has to be blood.

_No._

_ No, no, no!_

"Kairi," Riku hunches over and takes me by the shoulders, forcing me to look at him like he used to when we were kids. "Kairi I need you to talk to me. We'll take care of Sora in a minute, but I need to know what's going on first. Are you okay?"

I nod. "I'm fine. We took out Ansem, but Sora took a pretty nasty hit from Vanitas during the fight. Vanitas got away..." I keep Vanitas' 'Kingdom Hearts' speel to myself—according to him, the Wielders know about it already, and if they don't, now is definitely not the time to bring it up.

Riku nods, taking it all in stride. "It's fine we'll deal with it later."

Sora props himself up, grimacing.

"Sora, you okay?" I wonder. As annoying as he's been lately, I still care about him, and I hate seeing him in pain.

"I'll be fine," Sora's voice is strained as he forces himself into a standing position. His cough turns into a strangled choking sound. "Shit..." Sora is pale and tight-lipped, sweat beading on his skin.

My fingers grip the hem of his shirt as I stare into his deep blue eyes; I only just catch myself before I start drowning in them.

Sora resists me, and I glare at him. _Don't push me away..._ he relents and I lift his shirt.

_Damn_ he is _built_. Sora might not have the muscle mass that Riku does, but the his years of being a Wielder have definitely replaced the scrawny lean muscle he used to have with the real deal. His rock-hard abs are clearly defined, and the veins on his arms bulge beneath the skin.

My breath hitches again, and I duck my head so he doesn't see the blush ravaging my face.

A nasty purplish bruise covers the entire left side of his ribcage, accompanied by an entirely unsettling amount of swelling.

Now I really _ am_ angry. "Oh really? You're _fine_?" The words come out more harshly than I want them to, but I think I'm justified, there's no way _that_ doesn't hurt. _This is so stupid. Why do all men feel like they have to be impervious to pain to impress women?_

Sora shrugs like it's no big deal. "During the fight. It was a lucky shot, but I think I might've broken a few ribs."

A shudder rips through me—after my own experience in the fight, I know Sora's injuries could be a lot worse than they are. I wrap my arms around his neck and lean on his good shoulder, fighting tears at the fact that I almost lost him.

"Damn," Roxas whistles. "That looks painful..."

"No shit, Sherlock." Sora grumbles before turning to me. "You okay?"

I nod.

"Good." Sora says. "Ansem's been dealt with...Let's get back to base." Sora gasps and forces himself upright. He glances at the bloody corpse in one corner of the room and looks at Roxas out of the corner of his eye.

"Torch the place. Last thing we need is another Hollow Bastion incident," he says.

"Hollow Bastion incident?" I'm confused.

"I'll explain later," Sora replies.

A massive burst of flame engulfs the room as we exit, and then I don't have time for any more questions.

_*****DMS*****_

The hospital is just as dull and boring as the last time I was here.

The hospital machines hooked up to Sora beep with comforting regularity, although Sora looks less than pleased to be in the hospital in the first place.

"This is asinine. I'm completely fine—there's no reason whatsoever for me to be here," he quips for the tenth time in as many minutes, scratching absently at the gauze around his wrist that's holding his IV in place.

I catch myself wishing that Riku or Roxas were here—they headed back to headquarters to report to Mickey on the results of our attack—if only so they could tell him to quit whining about it already. I smack his good arm, half-annoyed, half-playfully.

"Cut it out, you big baby." Yuffie interjects. "I'm going to get coffee...try to control yourselves—people only get laid in hospital beds on TV."

My face is immediately red-hot at her suggestion, but she's gone before I can respond, sweeping out of the room and rubbing at the dark circles under her eyes that tell the world that it's been a while since she last had some shuteye.

Sora's smirking when I look at him, whether from Yuffie's comment, or my reaction, I can't tell.

"So...What's the 'Hollow Bastion incident?" I jump at the chance to change the subject before he can tease me further.

Sora nods. "Oh, right. Some crazy bitch named Maleficent camped out in an abandoned city after we rid it of the Heartless, and not only did she make the place her home, she started making more Heartless and terrorizing the surrounding towns. That experience taught us never to leave an enemy's structure standing when we've finished a job—no need to make it easier for them to do what they do." he says quietly.

"That's understandable..."

"I never did get to tell you that you did great out there Kairi," Sora tells me, and even though I'm grateful for the compliment, I can't help but wonder if the drugs they're pumping into him to help with the pain are taking effect now. "Seriously, Kairi, you're a natural. You were incredible."

I lean over to kiss Sora's cheek—medicine or no, it's still sweet of him to say. "Thanks,"

The doctor comes back into the room, with a sheaf of ominous-looking X-rays tucked into a manila folder at her side. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything...My name is Arieth Gainsboro...I'm the attending physician for a mister..." The green-eyed brunette pauses to consult her charts. "Sora Ikameshii?"

I lurch away from Sora, my face burning. "No, no, not at all! Hopefully you have good news?"

The doctor shakes his head. "I'm afraid not. It appears you've got a few fractured ribs, and some minor internal bleeding. I'd recommend that you take it easy for the next six to eight weeks before you resume any kind of physical activity, just so you avoid aggravating your injuries."

Sora scowls. "You're joking right? I can't be off work for that long,"

"Well, I'm afraid you'll have to be if you want to make a full recovery. I could give you a note if you wish, but if you don't follow my advice, there's a very real possibility that you could end up in here for much longer that a few hours if you aren't careful." the doctor warns.

I have to admit that I feel bad for the man—Sora's pretty stubborn to begin with, and that's _before_ anyone tells him he can't do something.

"Dammit," Sora mutters, screwing his eyes shut and shaking his head. "Fine."

"I'll write a perscription for light activity, but your recover is solely dependent on you." the doctor warns.

"Alright, alright, I get it. When can I go?" Sora wonders acerbically.

The doctor is clearly irritated by Sora's aloof attitude, but she doesn't say anything, choosing instead to rake a hand through her dark tresses and sigh.

"I'll go get the paperwork ready."

"This is complete bullshit." Sora mutters, unraveling the gauze around his arm so he can remove the IV.

"Sora, don't be ridiculous. You won't be able to help anyone if you don't help yourself first. You need to get better before you go charging headlong into danger again." I tell him, but he isn't hearing it.

Sora tears the electrodes off his chest, setting off all kinds of shrill and equally-unpleasant alarms, but he ignores them and closes the privacy curtain—I assume so he can change clothes.

My assumption is correct, and despite the obvious agony etched on his features, he slips out of the room, down the hall, and out the hospital's front door with barely a:

"Name's Sora Ikameshii, room 302. I'm checking myself out." tossed over his shoulder to the receptionist.

"Do you want me to drive?" I ask as we approach the parking garage. "Riku let Yuffie take his car so he could drive yours back..."

Sora heaves a sigh, grunting at the pain it undoubtedly causes him. "Alright. Just don't kill us." he grins to let me know he's teasing—he must not be feeling all that bad if he still has the energy to do that.

I smile back and rev the engine as he gets in. "I'll try not to."

_*****DMS*****_

I'm not sure whether to be creeped out or relieved by the fact that Mickey already has Sora's X-rays from the hospital by the time we get there—although it isn't really all that surprising, given how much the Wielders do for the community.

Mickey's office doubles as the war room—it sort of resembles a tiny, high-tech amphitheater.

Sora's X-rays are currently on display, and the sight of his injuries makes me cringe.

"Sorry, Sora, but what the doctor says goes. I can't have you out in the field if you're not at a hundred percent; you'd be a liability to the team."

Sora bristles at the comment and stands up from his seat. "A _liability _. Are you serious?" He demands, his eyes pulsing with rage.

"I'm completely serious, Sora, you're not going out into the field until you heal." Mickey's response is solemly firm.

"You're going to take your best man out of the fight _now_? _Vanitas_ is still out there, and you're gonna bench me? What the fuck are you thinking?" Sora raves.

"_That's enough!_" Mickey snaps, and a deathly silence descends on the room. "Do you remember the oath you took when you were sworn in?

Sora jerks his head in affirmation. "Of _course_ I _remember_."

"Really? Then repeat the last line."

Sora's tone is smug and full of condescension. "'And, above all, to wield the Keyblade in defense of peace and justice as long as I am able."

"Exactly. '_As long as you are able._' Right now, you're not able."

"Bullshit!" Sora challenges.

Riku is out of his seat before I can blink. He delivers a swift, sharp blow to Sora's injured side.

Sora crumples with a choked wheeze.

"Really, Sora? You know as well as I do that we're a peacekeeping organization. We protect other people who can't protect themselves. _That's_ what this organization is about. It isn't a facade that exist solely so you can carry out your personal vendettas." Riku snaps, pulling Sora off the ground and shoving him back into his seat.

I expect Sora to be absolutely furious, but he isn't. He looks humble, for once.

"You're right," he says.

"It's good to see that you're willing to see reason, Sora." Mickey says. "I hereby place you on suspension of duty, pending rehabilitation for eight weeks. This meeting is now adjourned."

Sora doesn't say anything as he rises from his seat. He just nods at Riku, and then hobbles out of the room.

I know he's hurt, but still...

The fact that Riku had to hit him to get him to think straight worries me.

I'll have to talk to him about that.

**Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Script**


	21. The Lies That Bind

**Disclaimer:****I****own****nothing.**

**As****always,****thanks****so****much****to****everyone****who****has****reviewed/favorited****this****story;****your****support****means****a****lot!**

**On****with****the****show!**

_**Chapter**____**XXI:**____**The**____**Lies**____**That**____**Bind**_

_**Kairi**_

Sora's leaning against the wall outside the war room, his face pale, his jaw clenched in a rictus of agony.

His breath comes in short, sharp rasps and he curls forward, one hand pressed against his injured side.

I approach him slowly, warily, because the last thing I need is for him to think I'm siding against him in all this—even though he needed to be humbled, and despite the fact that it was a little satisfying to see him taken down a peg, even I have to admit that he's suffered enough.

"Are you okay?" I ask him, even though it's obvious that he isn't.

Sora grunts. "I'll be alright. Just," he pauses to catch his breath. "just give me a minute."

"Sora..." I look at him levelly. I know he isn't going to like what I'm going to ask, and I have to take a few moments to prepare for the coming argument.

I won't deny that he's an excellent strategist, and he's very intelligent...But, he's also a little overconfident and _gods_is he ever stubborn.

Which is why I hate arguing with him over serious things—it's exhausting.

"Sora...we're supposed to be a team." I say, leaning closer so our foreheads are touching. "I want to help you, but I can't if you don't let me."

Sora just nods. "I know. I'm sorry for losing my temper like that, it's just so _frustrating."_

I press my lips to his, gentle but firm, persuasive, but not manipulative. "I know it we'll get through it, I promise. Please, let me help."

Sora pulls away and gasps, a sharp, ragged intake of breath. He pushes me away, gently, delicately, like I'm made of glass. He moves to take a step forward, and then stumbles to a knee, wheezing and hacking.

I'm at his side before I have time to really think about what I'm doing, but he waves me off.

"I'm alright," Sora insists, eyes flashing, teeth clenched.

"No you aren't...How are you going to get around at home if you can't even walk."

Sora chuckles, but it comes out more like a strangled choking sound when he remembers his broken ribs. "I'll manage. I've been through worse."

I cross my arms and stare at him, wondering if everything I say to him goes in one ear and out the other. "Oh, no you don't. Were you even _listening_ to what I just said?"

Sora hangs his head. "Fine. What do you suggest?"

"I'll come over and keep an eye on you." I decide, spur-of-the-moment.

Sora arches an eyebrow.

"I won't be in the way or anything, I swear! I just want to make sure you're alright."

"I'm not an invalid." Sora responds tersely, and heaves himself to his feet without so much as a grimace.

"I know that. And I wasn't trying to imply that you were. I just want to be there for you. Can you at least give me that?" I can feel the tears coming, but I force them back and hold his gaze until he relents.

"If you insist..." Sora says, like he's agreeing to have a root canal or something. "I'll text you my address later."

I'm giddy now—I honestly expected him to flat-out deny my request—and I can't keep from smiling. "What time should I be there?"

Sora shrugs. "I'm not sure when I'll be back. I have to go over my restrictions with Mickey and Doctor Gainsborough...I can't imagine she's very happy with me."

"I nod. I'll go get some things from my house then, let me know when you're ready."

Sora nods and leans in to brush his lips against mine. "I will. Be safe, alright?"

"Okay,"

"Do you want me to have Riku or Roxas drive you home?" Sora wonders.

I shake my head. "Nah, I'll be fine. See you later." I blow him a kiss and head for the parking lot.

I push my way out of the door to the Wielder headquarters, and I am immediately enveloped in a sea of people—the last bell must've gone off already. I'm lost in thought now, trying to figure out what I'm going to tell my parents when I get home. I've never been very good at multitasking, a fact that is glaringly obvious when I attempt to cut through the crush of students as everyone heads for the door at once. Something/someone slams into me and I go sprawling to the floor.

"Sorry," I mutter dusting myself off. "my fault."

Vanitas' throbbing amber eyes stare back at me as he offers me his hand. He's supposed to be my enemy, but I can't help noticing how handsome he looks in his blazer, dark jeans, and canvas sneakers. The succulent-looking green apple in his left hand looks almost out of place—I half expect him to be eating a burrito or some other form of junk food rather than an apple.

At this particular moment, he's more _Refined__Bad-Boy_ than _Evil-Mastermind's-Right-Hand-Man._

I take it slowly, warily, and he pulls me to my feet. "What are you doing here?" I demand, trying to pull off _intimidating_, but I'm not sure if I succeed.

Vanitas chuckles and pulls me to my feet. "Relax, Red. I'm not here to hurt anyone."

"Why should I believe you?" I ask quietly.

"No one says you have to...but I would advise against making a scene." Vanitas replies calmly.

"You still haven't answered my question." I point out, and Vanitas smiles.

"I'm keeping tabs. Really, Red, don't look so surprised; Sora does it all the time. Are you really so naïve as to believe that your supposed enemies aren't doing the same?"

I blush and turn away to hide it; I hadn't thought of that.

"I thought not...they have you so _blinded_, Red." Vanitas says, clenching his fist.

His tone smacks of a subtle manipulation that I refuse to fall prey to. "What do you mean? The Wielders exist to serve and protect. Unlike you."

Vanitas crunches into his apple. "You're so certain, and yet you have no idea what you're getting into...He still hasn't told you, has he?"

_Kingdom Hearts... _"No,"

"I didn't think so." Vanitas frowns as we approach my car, raking a hand through his dark hair. "Shit...Look, I really shouldn't be telling you this, but...I have to come back here, soon. And I don't want to see you here when I do, it's not exactly a leisure visit."

"You expect me to believe-"

Vanitas' face twists into a sneer. "No, I don't. I don't expect you to believe me. Not after you've made it so abundantly clear that you're willing to support a cause you know nothing about. I warned you, Red. Don't be here when I get back." he crunches into his apple again, and fumbles inside his coat with his free hand. He withdrawls a business card and hands it to me. "Despite what Sora would have you believe, I'm not really a heartless monster. When you decide you've had enough of his bullshit and you're ready to learn the truth, give me a call."

"I..." I begin, before realizing that I don't really know what to say.

Vanitas leans in and steals a kiss, and even though I'm fratrernizing with the enemy, I can't bring myself to push him away.

I let myself enjoy the slow burn of his liplock, and I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed when he pulls away.

Vanitas gives me a devilish wink, and then turns away. "I'll be in touch." and witht that, he melts into the crowd once more.

_*****DMS*****_

My parents, surprisingly enough, don't offer much in the way of opposition to me staying with Sora while he recovers—but they do leave me with an entirely mortifying statement:

"Don't do anything we wouldn't do!" spoken with entirely too much verve and little sidelong glances at each other for me to take seriously. _There's_ a double enténdre if I've ever heard one.

Mom and Dad also insist that I call them every night before bed, which, all things considered, isn't entirely unreasonable.

Sora's impeccable timing doesn't fail him here; no sooner have I finished packing my things, then my phone is buzzing as the text message containing his address arrives.

I bid my parents farewell, and head over to Sora's house.

I pull up his winding driveway, and my jaw drops at the sight of his house.

It's huge and rectangular, with soft, light colors and a classic stone construction. The landscaping is impeccable—the grass is neatly trimmed, and the trees are strategically placed around the lawn, adding to the 'swanky estate' feel of Sora's homestead.

I have to admit that the heavy wooden door is a tad bit intimidating, but I knock anyway. There's a quiet rustling from inside the house, and then the door swings open.

"Hello," Sora says, smiling softly and moving aside to let me in. "Come on in. Do you need help with your bags?"

I shake my head as I step past him, marveling at his interior decoration. It's sweet of him to offer, but I don't want him to make his injuries worse.

The color scheme inside is very similar to the one outside, the cream colored carpet and the black furniture don't clash with the walls, and the glass coffee table in the center of the room makes the place feel a little more modern. The big-screen TV on the wall above the fireplace sits directly across from an expensive-looking black leather couch.

There's a football game on, and even though I don't really like football, the picture is crystal-clear.

"Would you like a tour?" I feel my face heat up, knowing that I must look like a complete moron, standing her staring slack-jawed at his home, and I nod, trying to save face by owning up to my oogling.

Sora chuckles. "Right this way."

The kitchen is impressive as well. The floors are cherry wood, polished and gleaming, and all the appliances are made of stainless steel. The black-granite topped island in the center of the room is a nice touch, too.

We make a brief stop by Sora's den, where he has a massive map of the area pinned up on a corkboard, with threads and pushpins and post-it notes all over it, no doubt to keep track of his adventures as a Wielder.

Sora's room is modest compared to the rest of the house—it has it's own bathroom, and a few bookshelves, along with another smaller TV and a desk where his schoolbooks are neatly stacked.

My room—or at least, the room I'll be staying in while I'm here—is similar to his, though without the luxury of its own bathroom.

I set my things down on the bed and hug him gently. "Thanks,"

Sora hugs me back, but looks a little confused when he pulls back. "What for?"

"For doing the right thing...Accepting help when you need it." I tell him, and he makes a face.

"Sure, whatever."

And then I notice a drastic difference between his house and mine—besides the size and decoration—there's no one else here.

"Where are your parents?" I ask without thinking. "I was looking forward to meeting them.

Sora's expression darkens and he turns his back to me. "They died in the Destiny Islands invasion...I'm emancipated."

I pull him into another, tighter hug and rest my head on his shoulder as I rub his back gently. "I'm so sorry,"

"Thanks," Sora says quietly, grimacing. "...Kairi," he says, his voice strained.

I immediately realize my mistake and loosen my grip. "Oh! I'm sorry!"

"It's fine," Sora says, but there's a hard edge to his voice that wasn't there a moment ago.

We are silent for a few moments before Vanitas' words from earlier in the day surface in my mind once more.

_'They have you so _blinded_, Red.'_

_ 'He still hasn't told you, has he?'_

I swallow hard. "Sora, can I ask you something?"

Sora nods once. "Sure."

"What's Kingdom Hearts?"

Sora stiffens immediately, and shoves off the bed. "Where did you hear about that?"

"I don't see how that matters." I respond. "What is it?"

"It's nothing." Sora snaps. "An urban myth. Don't worry about it." His voice is almost a growl now, and he heads for the door. "Goodnight, Kairi."

The door clicks shut, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

And, despite how much I care about Sora, I can't help but wonder if maybe Vanitas was right...

**Like it? Hate it? Thoughts on the Vanitas/Kairi situation? Review!**

**See you next chapter!**

**Look Sharp,**

**~Script**


	22. Crosscurrent

**Disclaimer:****I ****own ****nothing.**

**As ****always, ****thanks ****so ****much ****to ****everyone ****who ****has ****reviewed/favorited ****this ****story, ****your ****support ****means ****a ****lot!**

**On ****with ****the ****show!**

_**Chapter **__**XXII: **__**Crosscurrent**_

_**Kairi**_

I bite my lip as my fingers curl into claws around the bedsheets. My pulse pounds in my ears, and I have to take a few deep breaths to calm down so I don't storm out of the room after Sora.

I feel the first of the hot, angry tears spilling down my cheeks, and for some reason, the realization that I'm crying—even though it's out of anger and not sadness—only makes me angrier.

I know I only have my own foolish naïvetè to blame, but I was beginning to hope that we were past all this evasiveness.

I'm honestly beginning to wonder if maybe—and I'm ashamed to even _think_ this—maybe Vanitas was on to something...

Sora's been evasive before, and he's flat-out refused to answer my questions on more than one occasion; this hasty cover-up seems sloppy compared to his concrete, unyeilding, rational responses to my other inqueries.

Vanitas' voice, a hair deeper and huskier than Sora's filters through my brain:

"_You're __his __pawn. __His __plaything. __He's __keeping __you __out __of __the __loop __for __a __reason, __Red._"

I fumble around in the pocket of my jeans for a moment, taking out the business card Vanitas gave me earlier.

_This __is __a __terrible __idea..._ My brain warns as I run my thumb over the slightly-indented numbers beneath the name 'Vanitas St. Silas'.

ull my phone out and dial the numbers slowly, methodically.

The phone rings a few times, and I can't decide whether to be happy about the fact that Vanitas hasn't answered yet or not.

Just as I'm about to hang up, Vanitas answers in a low, quiet voice, like he's wary of being watched.

"So, you've finally had enough, huh?" he says, and I can hear the smirk in his voice.

I sigh; I'm not really sure how to answer that. "I think I'm ready...for the truth. Like you said..."

Vanitas chuckles. "I knew you'd come around eventually. So, what do you want to know?"

"What is Kingdom Hearts? What's so special about it? Sora says it's an urban legend, but I don't buy it..."

"Kingdom Hearts is...Well, it's a mystery, quite frankly; no one can really pin down exactly what it is." Vanitas explains. "It's supposed to be this end-all be-all source of wisdom and power, which would make sense considering that there have been wars fought over it in the past."

I nod, though I know he can't see me. "So, is that what the Xehanort and the Wielders have been fighting over all this time?"

"Bingo." I can almost hear the grin in Vanitas' voice.

"What do you plan on doing with it if you win?" I ask; it seems like a perfectly logical question.

"I'm sure Xehanort would love to use Kingdom Hearts' power to reshape the world in his image...And I would imagine that Sora probably had some idealistic vision of using Kingdom Hearts to maintain order and peace." Vanitas says.

"And you?" Surely, Vanitas has his own ideas about what to do with Kingdom Hearts if he ever gets his hands on it...

"I don't really want anything to do with it. If the wars over Kingdom Hearts in the past are anything to go by, things aren't going to end well for anyone if this keeps up."

Vanitas' tone smacks of subtle manipulation, and I'm instantly on edge.

"Why should I trust you?" I wonder, realizing now that his answers seem a little too..._prepared_.

Vanitas chuckles. "Why _shouldn't_ you?" he counters. "Sora tells you that _I'm_ the bad guy, then tries to excuse himself from answering to the _real_ lawmakers for his vigilante justice by saying it's _for __the __greater __good._"

I pause, unsure of how to answer him, and Vanitas doesn't stop there.

"You know that he's ruthless, relentless, and calculating. I'm not saying he's a bad guy or anything, just that there are two sides to every story. If he's this much of a fanatic now, imagine what he'll be like if he ever gets his hands on Kingdom Hearts." Vanitas poses.

"I...I'm not sure what to say." As much as I hate to admit it, Vanitas' argument makes too much sense for me to easily dismiss.

"It's a lot to process, Red. But ask yourself: _Do __you __really __want __to __go __to __war __with __someone __who __not __only __doesn't __give __you __the __whole __story; __but __who __also __has __no __qualms __about __killing __a __helpless __old __man, __just __because _he _thinks __it's __the __right __thing __to __do_?"

My head throbs like it's caught in a vice. "But you said yourself that _you_ would've killed Ansem anyway..."

"I'm the bad guy, remember. I'm allowed to be that cold and ruthless. At least _I_would have fought him straight-up, none of this 'sneak attack' bullshit."

"I..." I really can't come up with a good argument—Vanitas is too good at this.

"I'm not trying to turn you to the Dark Side or anything, I'm just saying that you should look at things a little more objectively."

"Could have fooled me." I respond.

Vanitas chuckles, a cunning, mirthless sound. "I can be very persuasive when I want to be."

"You certainly prepare your arguments well, that's for sure. But like you said, you're one of the bad guys. How am I supposed to know if anything you say is true?" I ask him. "The Wielders will be weaker if we doubt each other. How do I know you aren't manipulating me?"

"You don't. I can see why you'd be concerned, but answer me this: _Have __I __ever __lied __to __you?_"

"Not that I'm aware of." I admit slowly.

"Has Sora ever lied to you?" Vanitas continues.

"Yes...but I'm sure he has his reasons."

"You don't honestly _believe_ that, do you?" Vanitas' tone is incredulous. "Even if Sora does have his reasons for witholding information, that doesn't justify lying."

"You don't...you don't understand." I tell Vanitas, though my confidence in Sora has been profoundly shaken.

"I don't need to understand every facet of the puzzle to see that Sora doesn't value or respect you nearly as much as you do him." Vanitas sighs. "You shouldn't let him take advantage of you like this...it's abusive."

"Right..." I say before I can stop myself.

"Look, I have to go. I'll be in touch." Vanitas says.

"Alright. Bye...and thanks."

"Sure," Vanitas replies, and then hangs up.

I sigh and put my phone on the nightstand before heading to the bathroom across the hall to shower.

_Vanitas __is __right._ I realize. _I __have __to __do __something __about __Sora..._

_*****DMS*****_

Sora seems to be in a considerably better mood the next morning, but that could be because I made breakfast.

I've just finished putting the eggs on plates and divvying up the bacon rashers when he stumbles downstairs, alert as always, even if his movements are a little slower than normal.

"Morning," he says, slipping an arm around my waist as he comes up behind me, his breath all minty-fresh.

Vanitas' voice filters through my head again. _You __shouldn't __let __him __take __advantage __of __you __like __this..._

"Morning." I reply, coldly, shoving the plate at him. "Here's your breakfast."

"What's wrong, Kairi?" Sora wonders, taking my arm gently as he accepts the plate of food. "You seem a little off."

"Nothing." I snap. "I don't know why you're suddenly so interested in my feelings. You never cared before." Okay, so maybe that's a little harsh, but he needs to hear it.

Sora sets his plate down on the island in the center of the kitchen, unperturbed. "Look, I know I haven't been easy to deal with lately-"

"Save it, Sora." I interrupt him, tired of hearing the same sorry-ass excuses, tired of falling prey to his infectious charms and forgiving him, only to be let down again. It's a vicious cycle, and I'm sick of it. "Unless you _mean_ it, I don't want to hear it."

Sora's face falls, and he stares at the floor. "You're right, Kairi. I haven't been treating you fairly, and I'm sorry. I'll do better in the future. I promise."

I lean forward and give him a peck on the cheek. "Okay...I'm sorry I jumped on you like that; it's been bothering for a while."

"Seems like it," Sora responds without venom or spite.

I give him a thin smile—he deserves that at least. "I promise I didn't poison your food or anything."

Sora just chuckles and takes a fork from the drawer in the the island. He sits down at the table and digs into his meal with a real smile—the kind that was ever-present when we were kids.

"This is really good, Kai." Sora says.

I can feel myself blushing, so I focus my attention on getting my own silverware so he doesn't see my face. "Thanks,"

"So...I was thinking..." Sora begins, shoveling in another forkful of scrambled eggs.

"Never a good sign," I tease him.

Sora swats at me playfully before continuing. "We should throw a party or something."

I almost choke on my toast. "_What_?" I take a sip of water to ease the burning in my throat and try for a more reserved version of the question. "Um, I mean...Why?"

Sora chuckles. "I'm not a _complete_ stiff. Just because I'm a Wielder doesn't mean I can't have a good time."

"What did you have in mind?" I ask him.

"Well, seeing as how I'm emancipated and all...I figured I'd throw a house-party. My parties used to be legendary, and I used to have one every year, but with the Heartless invasion, I haven't really had the time to throw another one."

I grin. "That sounds like fun."

"I'll get the guest list going after breakfast, and you can start thinking of snacks and drinks people might like." Sora catches himself at the last moment, and amends his statement. "If you don't mind, that is."

"Sure. No problem," I give him a nod, happy to see that he's at least giving it some effort.

It doesn't take long to make up the guest list, and, since Sora admits that he was going to invit the whole school anyway, the list gets a few more additions before Sora and I send out a mass text message half the list each, to let everyone know the time and place.

Despite our coldness toward each other this morning we end up cuddling on the couch watching—_ugh—_football, and even though I'm happy, even though Sora's making an honest effort to not be so controlling, the fact that he _still _hasn't told me what Kingdom Hearts festers in the back of my mind.

Even if he has a different answer as to what he thinks Kingdom Hearts is, I'd be happy with that, because it would mean he was being open and honest about _something._

I mean, I get that parts of his past are painful, and that he doesn't feel comfortable talking about them, but after everything I've been through trying to prove myself to him and the other Wielders, I think I've more than earned the right to be in-the-know.

I shift, trying to get more comfortable as I lay across Sora's lap, and he strokes my hair gently.

"Kairi...what's wrong?"

"It's nothing." I tell him, unwilling to ruin the mood. He is soft and warm and so damn comfortable that I don't want this to end, this perfect little slice of nostalgia. It reminds me so much of the times we'd all pass out on the couch at Sora's house when we were little, wiped out from a day's worth of rough-and tumble on the islet where we used to play.

Sora leans down to press his lips against the corner of my mouth, light and gently persuasive. "Please tell me."

"What is it?"

"What's what?"

"Kingdom Hearts."

Sora's body is instantly rigid, but then he takes a slow breath and relaxes. "Kairi. I could explain it to you; but to do that I'd have to talk about some things that happened back on the island. The night you got hurt. The night my parents died...Are you sure you want to hear this now."

I take a moment to think, and then nod. "I'm ready."

**Thoughts? Comments? Feelings on the Vanitas/Kairi/Sora situation? Speculations on what Kingdom Hearts actually is? REVIEW! Please?**

**Look Sharp,**

**~Script**


	23. Genesis

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**As always, thank you to everyone who has reviewed/favorited this story, you guys are all amazing! Thanks a ton!**

**We get to see a rare glimpse of Sora's past in this chapter, _and_ we're only one chapter away from finding out exactly what Kingdom Hearts is! **

**But, I won't spoil it for you.**

**On with the show!**

_**Chapter XXIII: Genesis**_

_**Kairi**_

I curl up on the couch across from Sora, sipping a mug of surprisingly-delicious hot chocolate that he made.

Sora's eyes are clouded for the barest fraction of a second, and I catch a glimpse of all the pain and misery that he's suffered—it's radiating off him and I want nothing more than to go to him, to be there for him...And then he blinks and sets his jaw and his face is a mask again.

"Alright Kairi. I'm not going to pull any punches. Some of this is...intense, and it might be hard for you to hear." he says levelly.

I nod and sip the hot cocoa, and try to quell nervous anticipation that starts my hands trembling. "I understand...Thanks for trusting me with this. It means a lot." I wish I had better words, so I could tell him _exactly_ how much, and for a moment, I think that perhaps a kiss would do the trick, but I know that now isn't the time for that.

Sora only nods, and takes a deep breath. "It all started on the day we finished the raft..."

_*****DMS*****_

_**Sora**_

_ It's already past my curfew when I stumble in the front door. _

_ I'm absolutely terrified that my mom is going to kill me—I knew I was going to be cutting it close when Riku left before me, but Kairi was sitting on the end of the dock and I kind of wanted to talk to her._

_ I wondered if she knew it was all for her, the raft, planning the voyage, everything. I cared about her, and the longer summer went on, the more time I had to think about it, the more I realized that I _like_-liked her. That I cared about her on a deeper, more profound level than a normal friendship._

_ Riku, I knew, would call me a sap—he'd teased me about my crush on Kairi more times than I could count._

_ But, I didn't care. I liked her. That was that._

_ I was deathly afraid that she didn't feel the same way about me, so I didn't say anything to her, I just kept it to myself, and did my best to resist the urges to hit Riku when Kairi caught him laughing at me and thought she wasn't looking._

_ I may have been lazy, but I wasn't stupid, I knew that Kairi would know something was up if I started anything. _

_ So, I left it be._

_ For a while, anyways. _

_ And then, when we talked about building the raft, her eyes lit up like I'd never seen before, and I thought:_

I could be part of that.

_Even if she wasn't smiling like that at me, I wanted to make her happy, and building the raft seemed like the best way to do it._

_ It was hard work, and it took the better part of two days to finish it; I was a little disappointed when we finished so close to sunset, because I knew we'd have to wait until tomorrow to set sail._

_ Riku left as the sun crept toward the horizion, saying something about being hungry, and then it was just the two of us._

_ Kairi was sitting at the end of the dock swinging her legs absently, almost sadly._

_ And so I went and sat next to her, thinking: _Maybe this is it, this is my chance to tell her how I feel.

_I sat there for what felt like forever, trying to work up the nerve to talk to her. I thought about lightening the mood with a joke, but I wanted to be smooth, so I didn't._

_ Just as I was about to say the completely lame, but always accepted '_What's up'_ Kairi spoke up._

_ "You know, Riku has changed." she said slowly, quietly, like she was afraid I would think badly of her because she was saying it._

_ "What do you mean?" I asked, my train of thought completely derailed by Kairi's random observation. Damn it._

_ And then she said: "Well..." like, she regretted having said anything in the first place. She trailed off._

_ "You okay?" The question was as natural as breathing._

_ "Sora, let's take the raft and go, just the two of us!" Kairi blurted, and my mouth almost dropped open._

_ And then I said: "Huh?" like an idiot, because as good as that sounded, as sure as I was that I had never wanted anything more than that in my life, I couldn't think of an intelligent response to her question._

_ "Just kidding!" Kairi said, and giggled, looking away a little too quickly, like she wasn't really joking. _

_ I tried to hide how much I felt like she was killing my hopes and dreams. "What's gotten into you? You're the one that's changed, Kairi."_

_ "Maybe," Kairi agreed. "You know, I was a little afraid at first, but now I'm ready! No matter where I go, or what I see, I know I can always coming back here...right?"_

_ "Yeah, of course!" I answered, and I was sure I sounded like a total dope._

_ "Sora, don't ever change," Kairi said, and my mind went blank, and all I could think was:_

She likes me!

_And then she stood up and moved on. "I just can't wait! Once we set sail, it'll be great."_

_ I started to feel a little awkward, sitting while she was standing, so I stood up too. I took one last look at the sunset—it really was beautiful, even though I'd never admit it out loud—and then it clicked:_

Sunset...I'm late for curfew!

_"Crap!" I said, louder and more vehemently than I meant to. _

_ Kairi flinched, and I felt bad for scaring her. "What's wrong?"_

_ "I'm going to be late for curfew...we should get going." I started for the tiny rowboat, contemplating carving my last will and testament into the seat, because there was _no way_ I was going to get back before dark now._

_ Kairi grinned. "Don't worry," she pointed out towards the mainland, where I could see a motorboat speeding toward us. She held up the cell phone her parents had gotten her, the one I was , __extremely jealous of, because it was one of the few new and exciting things in my life, besides my budding relationship with her._

_ "I called my dad," she explained. "You still might get back on time."_

_ I grinned. "Thanks, Kairi. You're the best."_

_ She smiled back. "What are friends for?"_

_*****DMS*****_

_ Mom doesn't remove my head from my shoulders when I get back, something I was certain would happen for the entire boat ride back as the sun dipped lower and lower below the horizon._

_ "Did you have a good time?" She wonders when I attempt to sneak past the kitchen and up the stairs. She must have, like, super-hearing or something._

_ I poked my head into the kitchen. "Yeah, I did."_

_ "Good. Go and wash up, dinner's almost ready."_

_ And that was the extent of the conversation that I was positive would end my life._

_ I headed upstairs and showered—as happy as I was to have finished the raft, it also felt good to be clean._

_ I throw on some clean clothes, and look out the window, and lie down on the bed, waiting for my mom to call me for dinner._

_ A few moments later, there's an absolutely wicked peal of thunder. I look out the window, only to see something that turns my guts to lead. _

_ "Oh no! The raft!" I exclaim before I can stop myself._

_ A huge, ugly, black thunderhead rolls in over the islet that we play on, lightning stabbing at the earth; I can tell just by looking at it that a storm of that magnitude will rip our raft to pieces._

_ And, even though I know I was pushing it getting home late, I can't let that happen._

_ I push the window open and creep out onto the roof._

_ Kairi is going to have her trip, one way or another. I don't care what happens to me, as long as she's happy._

As long as she's happy.

_I take a deep breath, realizing that I am quite possibly forfeiting my life, and take off for the docks._

_*****DMS*****_

_ I realize immediately that Riku and Kairi have beaten me to the punch. Their boats are tied up at the little dock, and I can just make out their shapes pulling at the raft further down the beach._

_ The wind kicks up, blowing sand into my face, but I pull the hood of my jacket up to protect my head, blocking the worst of it with my arm._

_ I stagger down the beach toward them—sky opens up, and the rain comes down in sheets, I'm instantly soaked to the bone._

_ "It's about time you got here," Riku grumbles._

_ "Sorry I'm late," I reply, feeling genuinely guilty as I help them haul the raft further up the beach and lash it to a tree—that's the best we can do for now._

_ "We should head back," Riku says. "The storm's getting worse."_

_ And he's right. The wind is really picking up now, hurtling sand with enough force that the impacts against my skin feel like little beestings. Between the rain, and the wind and the lightning, it's probably safer to just wait the storm out._

_ "I think we should wait it out," I point out to sea, where the wind is stirring up six and seven-foot waves. "There's no way we're getting back with those waves."_

_ Riku nods. "You're right. Let's hunker down."_

_ We start to head for the small cave near the waterfall, and then this pitch-black shape hurtles out of it, knocking the wind out of me and sending me sprawling to the ground. I feel a sharp pain in my arm, and realize that whatever just hit me has teeth and/or claws._

_ I blinked, sucking air like a fish out of water, and when my vision finally cleared, I realize that the things are pouring out of the cave mouth._

_ We're surrounded._

_ Another one of the things leaps at me, and I put my arm up to shield myself, waiting to feel the razor sharp teeth sink into my skin, and then there's a bright flash._

_ And then, it happens._

_ I'm holding a strange sword, shaped like a giant, silver key with a gleaming yellow handguard. I know instinctively what it is. _

A Keyblade_._

_ Riku has one too, but his is wickedly curved, with a white wing on the tip, and a black and white hand guard. _

_ We meet each others eyes, both of us realize that protecting Kairi is the most important thing in this moment. _

_ It isn't an easy task._

_ The creatures' assault is relentless, and the get through to sink their teeth or claws into me more times than I can count._

_ But that doesn't slow me down._

_ Riku and I have spent countless hours, countless afternoons on this islands sparring with wooden swords. At first, it was to impress Kairi with our 'skills', and then it just became a habit. Because of all that, we know each other._

_ We know the other's weaknesses, his strengths, his favorite moves._

_ We are a perfectly symbiotic war machine, a flawless embodiment of the word _team_._

_ But even our stamina, bolstered by years of playing in the hot sun day in and day out, isn't limitless._

_ I can feel my strength waning, the energy sapping from my limbs. My muscles are in agony from the continuous exertion, but it doesn't matter, because they haven't gotten to Kairi yet. They'll have to step over my cold, dead body before that happens._

_ My brain barely registers the sound of gunfire, I'm too lost in the visceral thrill of battle, ripping and tearing at the creatures with my Keyblade. _

_ "Are you kids okay?" someone asks, and only then do I realize that the fighting is over._

_ I don't have the energy to speak, I just groan and nod. I feel about a million years old, and my throat tastes like blood. For the first time, I realize that one of the creatures must've gotten me worse than I thought, my left leg wouldn't quite take my weight._

_ "We're here to evacuate you. Destiny Islands is under attack by some kind of creatures, and the mayor has decreed that the city be evacuated immediately."_

_ I nod again. I don't have the energy for anything else._

_ "No shit, Sherlock," Riku quips, and I crack a smile, because, all things considered, there's really no need to point out the obvious._

_ I gesture toward Kairi—Riku and I can hold our own while the soldiers take her to safety. "Take her first."_

_ "No can do, kid. You're injured, and protocol says-"_

_ A red haze descends over my field of vision, the back of my throat tastes like bile, my guts are a roiling mass of rage. _

_ I just can't fathom how _ here, now_ this insolent, pathetic excuse for a man could possibly think that his _protocol_ takes precedence over Kairi's safety._

_ I snap then, lurching forward to grab the soldier's collar, pulling his neck to my blade before my brain registers what I'm doing._

_ Safties click off guns, and the soldier's move as one to take aim at vital parts of my anatomy._

_ But, I can't bring myself to care._

_ "Fuck protocol. Take her first, or so help me gods, I'll cut my way through each and every one of you and take her myself."_

_ The soldier gulps, visibly shaken, and takes a step back._

_ Kairi moves to go with them, but rather than looking relieved, she looks absolutely terrified._

_ "I'll come for you, Kairi." I tell her, hoping to ease her worries a little. "Always. Let me know when you're safe."_

_ Kairi gives me this milllion-dollar smile, and everything I've suffered is worth it, because she's happy. "Okay."_

_ And then, one of the soldiers tosses me a radio, and then Riku gets one from one of the other men._

_ "These radios are all tuned in the emergency frequency on channel six. If those things come back and you don't think you can handle them, give a shout and we'll come back for you." one of the soldiers explains. _

_ "Alright. Thanks," I say._

_ And then, they're gone._

_*****DMS*****_

_ "So," Riku says after a few moments of silence, breaking into my frenetic worrying about Kairi. "What do you think they were after?"_

_ I finish wrapping a shred of my shirt around the gash in my leg and look at him. "What do you mean?"_

_ Riku rolls his eyes, and plunges his weapon into the sand, leaning on it for support as he sits down next to me. "Don't be dense, Sora. Think about it. Invasions don't happen because people are bored—they happen because people want something, and they're going to take it by force._

_ I slammed my weapon into the sand; and I felt the impact all they way up into my teeth. Before I have time to examine what I possibly could've hit, the radio starts sqwaking again:_

_ "Hard contact west of checkpoint Bravo! Need immediate medical assistance! Marking position with flares—Ah, gods, get 'em off me!"_

_ The flare goes shoots into the night sky and I know immediately that Kairi's in trouble._

_ Riku gives me a nod. "I'll be alright until you get back. Go,"_

_ I take off running after Kairi._

_ I find her more quickly than I planned. The flare's guidance helps, but it doesn't prepare me at all for the scene that greets me when I get to her._

_ Everything's awash in this eerie orange glow._

_ The soldier's are dead—there's a smoking radio lying in a pool of blood._

_ Kairi's screaming bloody murder, and the sound of it just kills me._

_ "Leave her alone!" I shout, and the creatures turn as one to attack me._

_ But, I'm in the zone, and they can't touch me. I take them out in less time than it takes to blink, then rush to Kairi's side._

_ "Kairi, oh gods _Kairi!_" I turn her over as gently as I can; she is pale and limp and weak, and for a stark and terrible moment, I'm afraid that they've killed her._

_ And then, her eyes crack open and she groans._

_ "I've got you Kai. You're safe now. Just hold on, help's coming." I pull Kairi closer, unwilling to let her go after coming so close to losing her._

_ Her clothes are ruined, and take my shirt off to cover her._

_ Kairi pulls back slowly, like it takes a great amount of effort—considering her injuries, it probably does. "Hey Sora...Gotta tell you something."_

_ "Yeah?"_

_ "I...I like you." She says, and my world lights up._

_ "I like you too," I tell her._

_ And despite the fact that she's hurt and we're under attack, knowing that makes the whole situation seem a little less terrible._

_*****DMS*****_

Kairi's eyes are blank and hollow, and she puts her mug down slowly on the table next to the couch.

"Ex-excuse me!" she says, and then bolts for the bathroom.

The sound of vomiting reaches my ears, and I can't help but wonder if I've made a terrible mistake...

**Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? Review!**

**See you next chapter!**

**Look Sharp,**

**~Script**


	24. Genesis Part II

**Disclaimer: ****I ****own ****nothing.**

**As ****always, ****thanks ****to ****all ****my ****readers ****for ****your ****continued ****support****—****you ****make ****all ****of ****this ****possible! ****You're ****awesome!**

**On ****with ****the ****show!**

_**Chapter **__**XXIII: **__**Genesis **__**Part **__**II**_

_**Sora**_

I give Kairi a moment of privacy before venturing into the bathroom to see if she's alright.

The sound of her being sick kills me. _You did that._

My conscience eases up when the retching sounds stop, but I wait a few extra seconds before crossing the threshold into the bathroom.

When I get to her, she's hunched over the toilet, shaking with force of her dry-heaves.

"Sorry," I say sheepishly when she's finished.

"'m fine," she responds quietly, flushing. She stands up and brushes her teeth vigorously enough to draw blood, then takes a swig of mouthwash.

"Are you sure?" I ask her, genuinely concerned.

Kairi gives me a scathing glare. "Yes. And I still want to hear the rest...That last bit just brought back some bad memories, that's all."

I nod and we head back out to the living room—I know better than to say anything else.

Kairi clears her throat in a way that reads on with it, so I jump right back in where I left off.

"Right, where was I..."

_*****DMS*****_

_I stare after the ambulance as it rumbles away through the muck with Kairi safely aboard, exhaustions sapping the energy from my limbs._

_Riku's voice crackles over the walkie-talkie: "Sora, answer me, dammit!"_

_I fumble for the thing, my hands are shaking so badly that I can barely keep a grip on it as the adrenaline leeches from my veins._

_"Riku," I gasp into the mic. "Kairi's...Kairi's safe. She's on her way to the hospital now."_

_"At least something's going well," Riku grumbles. "Get back here as fast as you can—something's wrong on the mainland."_

_My heart drops into my guts and adrenaline burns my veins again. I take off at a dead sprint back toward the beach._

_"I'm on my way."_

_When I get back to the beach, Riku's untying his boat at the dock, and I have to sprint to get to him before he casts off._

_"Where are you going?" I ask, untying my own boat._

_"Back to the mainland." Riku answers. "No one's been back here since you left...I think our folks might be in trouble." he motions for me to get into the boat with him. " We can come back for your boat later."_

_"What makes you think they're in trouble?" I wonder. "If the soldiers got to us all the way out here, they must've cleared the mainland, before they came for us..."_

_Riku just points back to the mainland wordlessly, and my world comes crashing down around my ears._

_The mainland is completely engulfed in a black tide, and it takes me a moment to realize that it's moving._

_Thousands of yellow eyes flicker in and out of view, and I realize that things are much worse than I could possibly have imagined._

_Riku and I both lunge for the oars at the exact same time, before we end up paddling back canoe-style._

_It's a murderously long journey back to the mainland; I can barely stand when we get back._

_But the physical pain is nothing compared to the mental battering my psyche is taking, the streets are filled with the creatures—as soon as I cut one down, two more take its place._

_My vision is a haze of images, flash-burned into my retinas as I lose myself to battle lust: bursts of gunfire, spurts of blood, dismembered corpses falling to the ground in a pool of blood._

_The creatures are just ripping into the poor souls, ripping and tearing at their flesh and innards while some of thems still live, screaming and writhing as much as their truncated bodies allow._

_And then there's the screaming._

_It's just awful—everyone is screaming, begging, pleading all at the same time for someone to help them, and the soldiers are just getting torn to pieces._

_Literally._

_I have to fight not to be sick at the sight of an arm that flops down on the street in front of, weeping ichor from the ragged mess where it was once attached to a body._

_Something hot and wet splatters across my face, and I force myself not to think about it._

_I press on, slicing and ripping and tearing at these things, but it doesn't make a difference._

_It takes me a moment, in my bloodlust, to realize that I've somehow managed to make my way back to my street._

_It doesn't look anything like what I remember, as most of the houses are in flames, with these horrible, haunting screams echoing into the night._

_I can see my house at the end of the street, miraculously intact despite the hellish nightmare that's unfolding around me._

_I stumble toward my house as the creatures begin to recede, like they're being called away._

_My mother stumbles out the front door, coughing._

_I raise my arm to wave to her._

_And then it happens._

_One of the creatures leaps at her, and she puts up an arm to defend herself, but she's too slow, much, much to slow, and the thing takes her down, slashing and tearing at her as she shrieks in agony._

_My mind doesn't register crossing the span between myself and her, but, suddenly I'm standing over top of her, fending off the creatures as the surge at me from all sides like some evil, twisted tempest._

_And then, inexplicably, the creatures turn as one and take off into the darkness._

_I look down at what used to be my mother—I don't even recognize her, and I can't hold back the tears or the pain any longer, and suddenly I'm vomiting into the rosebush she is—was—so proud of._

_And then, I let the tide of despair bury me beneath a wave of misery, and the darkness takes me._

_*****DMS*****_

_The shrill screeching of the radio jerks me from my manic slumber._

_"Sora! I found something incredible, you have to get over here."_

_I feel strangely numb, like the events of the last few hours were part of someone else's life. "Where are you?"_

_"Thank gods, you're alright...I thougth they'd gotten you too..."_

_"Where. Are. You?" I demand, as the emotional trauma I've suffered over the past few hours roils inside me—my head is pounding, and all I want to do is go to sleep._

_"I'm on the island. Gods, I thought I was done for, and those things carried me back to the island, and I though for sure that was it for me—I saw what they did to everyone Sora, even the kids..." There's a quiet retching sound, and Riku sounds closer to tears now than I've ever heard him before._

_"I know," I tell him quietly, sucking in a shaky breath. "I'm on my way._

_*****DMS*****_

_"Hey Riku," I barely have the strength to call out to him. It took me a while to find him; he had taken refuge from the storm on the pirate ship that somehow morphed into a giant tree fort over the years. "What'd you find?"_

_Riku's eyes are hard and edgy when he turns to me rising from his crouch with an eerily smooth motion, considering what we've just been through._

_"I'm not afraid," Riku says slowly._

_"What are you talking about?" The half-crazed glint in his eyes is starting to creep me out._

_"I'm not afraid of the Darkness." Riku clarifies, which does absolutely nothing for the feelings of unease curdling in my gut._

_"Riku, what are you babbling about?"_

_"Kingdom Hearts," Riku plucks the gem from theground and caresses it with an almost worship-like reverence. "This is it. This is the greatest source of wisdom and power known to mankind. Do you have any idea what you could do with this?"_

_Darkness pulsates around him, and Riku grins savagely. "I understand it now. We have to restore the balance. Darkness cannot exist without Light; but for Light to have a purpose, there must first be Darkness."_

_My hand tightens around the Keyblade's grip. "Riku, that thing is screwing with your mind. Put it down, and let's get out of here before those things come back."_

_Riku's eyes flash amber, and my guts turn to lead. "I can't do that Sora," his Keyblade comes up into an almost nonchalant defensive stance. "I must restore the balance."_

_"Fuck the balance, Riku. My mother was just killed. Put the fucking rock down and let's go."_

_Riku glared, and I almost took a step back to avoid the murder in his eyes. "If you want Kingdom Hearts, you're going to have to pry it from my cold dead fingers."_

_I raised my Keyblade to guard. "Don't make me do this, Riku. We don't have to fight over this."_

_"It is too late for talk, non-believer. If you will not serve the Darkness, then you must be destroyed." Riku's lips peeled back from his teeth in a sadistic, demented smile._

_I take a step back, and fetch up against the railing meant to keep us from falling to the sand about ten feet below._

_Riku charges._

_As he barrels toward me, nostrils flaring, amber eyes blazing, it hits me: Kingdom Hearts is controlling him somehow._

_I have to get it away from him._

_I plant my feet, trying to stop him with sheer determination, but it's no use. He outweighs me by fifty pounds, and all of it is muscle._

_The impact is like being hit by a freight train._

_My first thought as we tumble over the side of the bridge is astonishment at just how powerful Riku really is._

_My second thought is: _Maniac! He's going to kill us both!_ I plant a foot in his gut and send him sprawling away from me in a blur of flailing limbs and silver hair. And then I lose sight of him as the miniature forest of palm trees swallows me up; I bounce off tree limbs like a ragdoll._

_I smack into the ground in a spray of sand and coconut shells, crushing the breath from my lungs._

_Ow._

_I force myself to get up, to absorb the waves of agony coursing through me._

_I shake my head, clearing my vision just in time to see Riku streaking towards me, leaping from tree limb to tree limb with all the grace of a Bengal tiger-equal parts savage grace and ferocious power._

_He dives off the branch, hoping to tackle me-but he's too slow, I'm ready for it this time and I throw myself out of the way._

_Riku takes it in stride recovering with a graceful roll, on his feet in an instant._

_Our eyes met briefly._

_Hunter._

_Hunted._

_And then his eyes slide away from mine, flickering between aqua and amber and I know I have to take him down now, before the Darkness takes him again._

_I bolt._

_Riku cocks back an arm as I close in; too late, I realize I've been suckered._

_His grim mouth cracks a small smile as he unleashes a devastating clothesline directly to my throat._

_I flip over onto my back, eyes watering as I choke on my own spit._

_My hands flash out and I catch the sand on my palms and throw myself back to my feet to square off with Riku._

_"Come on Riku! You have to fight this, you're stronger than this. Don't let that thing control you!" I plead._

_"You've got it backwards, Sora. I control it. Not the other way around." Riku snaps back, smirking as he extends his hand_

_The ground heaved, and a chasm big enough to swallow a whale opened up._

_I leap into a high-arcing backflip as the Keyblade's power thrills through me, barely managing to clear the gap in time._

_Surging forward, I pummel Riku with a furious barrage of fireballs from the Keyblade as I leap over the chasm._

_That's when the fight begins in earnest._

_Riku is already moving out of the way as I sail toward him over the chasm, arms wind-milling as I attempt to stay level._

_He seized my shirt as I fell and hurled me to the ground._

_The impact crushes the breath from my lungs, swallows my vision in a burst of blinding white fire as my brain rattles around in my skull._

_Somehow, my hands find the ground and I try to push myself back up onto my feet, but then Riku's foot is in my gut, blasting me another thirty feet back, right into a tree._

_Hot bursts of pain chain up my spinal cord in the same instant that my teeth slice into my lip. The metallic taste of blood fills my mouth and I spit the foul liquid out, wiping my hand on the back of my arm._

_When my head finally clears enough for me to see Riku again, he's right on top of me._

_I dodged his fist and flip him over my shoulder._

_I whirl, intending to follow-up with an elbow to the temple-his knuckles meet my jaw with a crack and whip my head sideways—his reflexes are much quicker than I thought._

_I stumble back under the blow, and then retaliate by seizing his throat in a crushing grip._

_A heave sends him hurtling backwards through the dense forest, slamming into tree limbs like a rag doll as he goes._

_I sprint after him, twigs and dried-out coconut shells splintering underfoot as I flash through the brush._

_Riku's waiting in the clearing at the edge of the trees, brandishing his Keyblade with a deft confidence._

_I leap over his swing, spinning around to delivering a disabling leg-sweep that dumps him onto his_

_back._

_Riku brings his Keyblade to bear again, but his swing is sloppy and I catch the blow with my own weapon—a crank of my wrists wrenches it from his grip._

_He doesn't seem fazed by the loss of his weapon; he just leans forward and delivers a brutal head-butt that has me stumbling back, dazed._

_Before I can recover, he's on the offensive again, driving me further back with a vicious snap-kick to the ribs. I stagger back a step to steady myself, but my ankle buckles, leaving me defensless._

_Riku's next blow sends me toppling backward into the sand._

_I barely have time to see his foot coming before it slams into my face, sending me down into the all-consuming embrace of unconsciousness._

**Like it? Hate it? Thoughts on Kingdom Hearts, or why Sora might be so intent on finding it? Review!**

**See you next chapter!**

**Look Sharp,**

**~Script**


	25. Dangerous Games

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**As always, thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited this story, your support means a lot! You guys rock!**

**On with the show!**

_**Chapter XXV: Dangerous Games**_

_** Kairi**_

I stare at Sora; his mouth is compressed in a hard line—which is understandable, considering everything he's been through.

I lean forward to hug him, so he knows that he doesn't have to bear this alone, that I am here for him, that I will support him no matter what.

Sora returns the embrace for a moment, and then pulls away. "Thanks...I...I needed that." he says, and it sounds like he's ashamed of the fact.

"It's okay," I tell him, adressing his words as well as his tone. "Everyone needs help sometimes."

Sora nods and gives me a small smile. "Right," he leans in to give me a gentle kiss on the lips.

He pulls away, but I refuse to let him, pressing him back down onto the couch and kissing him harder.

It's nice to do this—we haven't had some alone-time for a while—at least not where we were on good enough terms to kiss each other.

The kiss starts out reserved, but it quickly become explorative in more ways than one; I feel Sora's hand brush over my backside, and even through part of me is completely mortified by his actions, I can't deny the fact that it feels good.

I'm operating more on instinct now than anything, and when his grip tightens, my immediate response is to press my hips into his, fingers tangling in his hair as he deepens the kiss.

When Sora slips his hand under my shirt and starts tracing patterns on my skin, I realize that we're crossing over into dangerous territorry, but I can't bring myself to stop.

His teeth graze my bottom lip, all heat and lust, and I press closer to him in response.

And then, he pulls away, gasping.

"We should...we should stop." Sora says, pausing to catch his breath.

I press closer and capture his lips again, harsh and fervent and hot. "I don't wanna," I complain in between kisses.

Sora, however, can always be counted upon to be the voice of reason, and he pushes me away gently, but firmly. "Kairi," he says, his tone hard and stern.

"Fine," I huff, pulling back to pout at him.

Sora clenches his jaw. "Don't look at me like that,"

"Why not?"

"Because, you're making it very difficuly to avoid kissing you senseless. You're pretty fucking sexy _without_ the pouting." Sora seems to catch himself, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly when he realizes what he's said.

I nod, blushing at the compliment, as Sora's hands shift to hold me by the hips as he sits up. He squeezes gently and I suck in a breath, biting my lip to keep from moaning.

"So...about that party," Sora begins with a grin.

I smile back. "I'll go get the guest list."

_*****DMS*****_

Even though no one is here yet, I can tell that we have an epic party in the making. I wonder briefly if Sora's influence is corrupting me; six months ago, I never would've dreamed of going to a party where there might've been booze, and now I'm hosting one.

I think about that for a moment, and then I decide that I'm okay with it.

I give the kitchen one last once-over: Soft drinks, chips and dip, along with various other snack foods are laid out on the counters in a massive spread. There's more food in the fridge, just in case, along with the keg of beer that I hadn't noticed until now—apparently Sora keeps one on hand for occasions like this.

I take a deep breath, glad to be done with the set-up.

Sora saunters into the room behind me and rests his chin on the top of my head. "Looks great, Kai. You did a really nice job with all this."

"Thanks. I can't wait for everyone to get here." I tell him honestly.

"Riku, Yuffie, Roxas, and Naminé are on their way now, and everyone else from the Senior class said that they'll be underway within the next half-hour or so." Sora explains, hugging me around the middle.

No sooner has he finished saying this, than Riku and Roxas barge in the front door, toting a case alcoholic beverages in one hand, and a case of Red Bull in the other.

_This can't possibly end well..._

I put on a brave face despite my misgivings, and wave to them as haul the goods into the kitchen.

"Uh, are we interrupting?" Riku asks, raising a suggestive eyebrow.

It takes me a second to catch his meaning, and then I realize that Sora's arms are still wrapped around my midsection.

I pull away from him quickly, embarrassed. "No, not at all." I say, and although my voice is completely nonchalant, the burn ravaging my face gives me away as I blush scarlet.

"Whassup, guys?" Sora wonders, bumping elbows instead of fists with Riku and Roxas, on account of their full hands.

"Not much, where do you want this shit?" Roxas asks, returning the gesture.

"Just stick it in the garage for now," Sora instructs.

The two of them have obiously been here before, because they don't waste any time heading for what I assume must be the garage, leaving the room in the same instant that Naminé and Yuffie enter.

Yuffie, apparently, is used to the party life, because she's hauling in a case of vodka; she offers Sora a nod before following after the boys.

There's a thud from the garage, and Sora glances at me with an apologetic smile. "Be right back," he says, and I can swear I hear him mutter the word _douchebags_ under his breath.

Naminé spears me with an antagonistic glare, and for a minute, I'm lost, wondering what I could have possibly done to earn her ire, and then it dawns on me that I've pretty much dropped off the face of the earth as far as she's concerned...with everything that's been going on, I haven't really had the time to fill her in on what's been happening, and that knowledge spawns a guilty pit in my stomach.

"Hey, Nami. How's it going?"

Naminé's stare hardens. "Fine."

"I'm really sorry," I offer lamely.

Naminé folds her arms and leans against the counter. "It would have been nice if you could have called or something. The last time I saw you, you were hooked up to a ton of hospital machinery and could barely keep your eyes open...You could've at least called." she quips.

Another pang of guilt stabs me. "I know. I've just been a little...occupied. Things've been happening so fast, and I guess I just got sidetracked. It won't happen again, I promise. Do you think you can forgive me?" My teeth sink into my lower lip as I wait for her response.

Naminé continues to stare at me silently for another moment, and then she folds, her face breaking into a smile. "Aww, Kairi, I can't stay mad at you." she pulls me into a hug. "Just keep in touch from now on, okay? I really missed you..."

I hug her back. "I will."

Naminé pulls back, and grins at me mischeviouly. "So...You and Sora seem to be doing better." she drawls.

I blush, and nod. "Yeah. I think he's finally starting to get it...I was getting so irritated with him, and I almost gave up, but I'm glad I didn't." I confess.

"Me too. You seem much happier now." Naminé agrees.

Sora, Riku, Yuffie, and Roxas head back into the kitchen, and then the doorbell rings.

"Let's get this party started!" Yuffie howls.

_*****DMS*****_

The party is in full swing, and pretty amazing, if I do say so myself.

Sora's living room is packed with people, most of whom are gathered around the TV watching football.

"What the hell? A turnover? Seriously? Are you blind?" One of the boys—Tidus, I think is his name—shouts at the TV. "That was clearly a first down!"

"Aw, shut up Tidus," Wakka interjects. "Worthless-berger can't throw for shit, the ref's right."

"Both of you, stop it." Selphie groans, shifting closer to Tidus on the couch.

I smile to myself, remembering the days past where my friends and I argued about the same things.

A few people are dancing to the music in the background, but no one is drunk enough for it to be entertaining—not yet at least.

The kitchen is also full of people, though they're just shooting the breeze and lamenting the fact that there's still six months of school left.

And then, Vanitas shows up.

It's like a scene out of a overrated teen movie—every girl in the room, with the exception of Naminé and Yuffie turns to look at him.

And Vanitas only smirks. He saunters up to Sora and taps him on the shoulder. "Sick party bro,"

Sora freezes, and the drink he's pouring overflows onto the counter, then starts dripping onto the floor.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing here?" he snarls.

"I saw the lights from the road; thought I'd stop in for a visit." Vanitas' voice is level and calm.

I can cut the tension in the air with a knife.

Sora's hand strays toward the block of knives next to the stove, but Vanitas doesn't even bat an eye.

Instead, he helps himself to a can of beer and takes a long swig. "You're in no shape to fight, Sora. And I doubt you want to be responsible for the injuries to innocent people a battle in here would cause. Besides, you've got a pretty sweet crib here...It'd be a shame to wreck it. So, why don't we settle this a different way?"

"What do you have in mind?" Sora grits out, his eyes burning murder.

"Just a little drinking game." Vanitas smirks again. "Last man standing wins."

Sora nods. "Fine. I win, you leave."

Vanitas dips his head in acceptance. "And if _I _win?"

Sora snorts derisively. "Not going to happen."

"All the same. If I win, I'm staying." Vanitas responds levelly.

A few moments later, we're all seated at the dining room table, surrounded by practically everyone at the party.

_Seven against one...that hardly seems fair_, I think to myself, but Vanitas doesn't look the slightest bit worried.

Vanitas draws numbers on the red plastic cups; one through six, and starts explaining the rules.

"Okay, here's the deal. One of you is going to have to opt out."

Naminé raises her hand. "I'm designated driver...and I despise the taste of liquor. I'll sit this one out." She kisses Roxas' cheek and moves to stand behind his chair.

Vanitas hands out the cups. "I have cup number one." he says.

"Two." Sora's voice is almost a snarl.

"Three," I answer after inspecting mine.

"Four," Riku's voice is considerably calmer than Sora's but there's still an edge to it.

"Five," Yuffie is completely nonchalant, ready for a challenge.

"Six," Roxas almost sounds bored, but his eye's are wild with aniticipation.

"This game is fairly simple. Everyone takes turns rolling the dice. When it stops rolling, everyone except the person whose cup number matches the dice has to drink their entire cup. Vomiting, passing out, or failing to finish your beer is an immediate disqualification. Last man standing wins."

A wastebucket is placed by each of our chairs as he says this, and I cringe at the very real possibility that I might end up actually _using_ the thing.

Vanitas grins savagely and tosses Sora the die. "You're up first, hero."

Sora tosses the dice at the table and it lands with the six facing up.

Everyone except Roxas downs their cup, and Naminé refills them for us.

I very nearly gag at the taste, wondering why on Earth anyone would willingly drink this stuff. I hold back the bile and grit my teeth.

I inwardly cheer when Riku's roll spares me from having to take another drink.

Over the course of the next few turns, however, I'm not so luck, having to take a drink for each of Roxas, Yuffie, and Vanitas' turns.

I feel a slight buzzing at the base of my skull, and my brain becomes slightly fuzzy, like the synapses aren't quite firing right.

As the game wears on, it becomes increasingly difficult to focus, and by my fourth turn, I actually have to concentrate to pick up the die.

I roll the die and it lands with the three facing up. _Saved_.

"Shit," Roxas mutters, his forhead slamming into the table as he lets his head drop.

Naminé rubs his back like the tender soul that she is. "You okay, babe?"

Roxas groans, downs his beer, and then vomits in spectacular fashion into the plastic wastebucket by his chair. "Dammit." he mutters, and then pukes again.

Gross.

Thankfully, the crowd of people has vanished now, most of them had the good sense not to get completely wasted, and the rest, I assume were just tired.

"One down." Vanitas smirks as Sora rolls the dice.

Three turns later, and Yuffie is passed out cold on the table.

I'm drunk enough now that I _know_ I'm wasted, though I can't decide if that's a good thing or not.

Riku's eyes are glassed over, and he sighs heavily as Naminé tops off his cup.

Sora's eyes blaze, intesified by the alcohol in his blood.

Three more rolls of the dice and Riku sets his half-empty beer on the table, with an apologetic glance in Sora's direction.

Sora only nods and smacks his cup down on the table.

I down my glass and clench my teeth against the bile creeping up the back of my throat.

Vanitas twirls the die on his fingertip, seemingly unaffected by the alcohol, before letting it bounce onto the table.

Sora finishes his beer heroically—I've lost count of how many we've consumed, and is promptly sick in the wastecan.

I stare Vanitas down, and match him, drink for drink as the game wears on.

Finally, I can't drink another sip and my cup tumbles out of my suddenly limp hand.

Vanitas smirks at Sora triumphantly over the table. "I win," he jeers.

In a blindingly fast motion, Sora leaps across the table, slamming into Vanitas hard enough to knock both of them to the floor.

Sora unleashes the full force of his fury on Vanitas, swinging for the fences as he clobbers the other young man with his fists—even drunk, he's pretty accurate.

And then I realize, even though I'm tanked, that Vanitas isn't fighting back, he's just shielding himself from the worst of the blows. Sora topples off of him spent, and Vanitas hobbles to his feet.

"I'll see myself out." He heads for the door. "Thanks for the game."

And, just before he slips out the door, he winks at me.

I'm not sure what to make of that.

**Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions? Review!**

**Look Sharp,**

**~Script**


	26. Fracture

**Disclaimer: *sighs* You really should know this by now...I own nothing.**

**Thanks for the reviews guys, although I must say I was hoping for a bit more enthusiasm from the peanut gallery after that last chapter...Yes, you, in the back, with the bag of M&Ms. Yeah, I'm talking to you.**

**On with the show!**

_**Chapter XXVI: Fracture**_

_** Kairi**_

I feel like death.

My head is pounding, and my stomach is a roiling mass of unrest.

I clench my teeth against a surge of bile and slowly lift my head off the kitchen table—it feels like it weighs a ton.

My limbs are heavy and unresponsive, like they've taken separate vacations to opposite ends of the universe and none of them are in a hurry to come back. The effort required to move them is absolutely uncalled for.

The exertion it takes to open my eyes is slightly less difficult, but my eyelids are still far heavier than they should be.

Riku, Yuffie, Roxas, and Naminé are nowhere to be seen, and I wonder how on earth they got home if I'm this hungover, and then a hazy memory of Naminé sitting the game out because she was the designated driver and hated the taste of alcohol filters through my brain.

I don't remember much from last night, just bits and pieces.

Most prominent is Sora leaping across the table to tackle Vanitas to the floor and then proceeding to beat the living daylights out of him.

My still-jumbled memory tells me that Vanitas didn't even bother to fight back, and I'm still not sure if it was because he didn't feel like it, or didn't want to fight Sora in his weakened state...

The sound of my phone's alarm going off is a deafening klaxon, and it jars me from my lethargic musings. As I stumble the few feet over to the counter to shut it off, I feel like I've run two back-to-back marathons after downing a bottle of nighttime cough suppressant.

Sora's out cold; no amount of shaking him or shouting him will rouse him, and my bag of tricks runs dry when dumping a glass of water over his head does absolutely nothing.

I take particular care in the shower—the world is still a little off-kilter, and the last thing I need is another trip to the hospital.

After throwing my hair in a ponytail and downing a Pop-Tart for breakfast—as serious as he is, Sora still hasn't outgrown his penchant for the pastries—I run out the door, hoping not to be late for school.

I arrive on campus in the nick of time, entering the building just as the bell rings. I'm in a rush to get to my locker, and I don't even register that someone's in front of me until it's too late, and both of us go tumbling to the floor. My bookbag spews its contents all over the floor, scattering pencils, pens, and my notes across the tiles.

My face burns as I hurry to stuff everything back into the bag. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" I mutter.

"Not very coordinated, are you?" Vanitas quips, picking himself up off the floor, and dusting off his jeans. He smirks at me, and the gesture is half-seductive, half-teasing, at least until I notice the massive black eye from last nights fiasco.

"Gods, what happened to your face?"

Vanitas shrugs, like the shiner and—now that I'm really looking at him, I realize how banged up he is—his swollen lip are no big deal.

"Sora's got a nasty left hook...Even when he's trashed." Vanitas admits.

"You look terrible." I tell him, feeling bad once I've said it, but it's the truth.

"You really know how to boost a guy's ego, Red." Vanitas smirks again.

I fish around in my bookbag for my makeup, no longer caring if I'm going to be late for class. I grin triumphantly when my fist closes around the small case.

Vanitas' smirk vanishes instantly when he sees it. "Don't even think about it." he snaps.

"Would you relax? It's not like I'm putting lipstick on you or anything—it's just cover-up so your black eye doesn't look so bad. And," I pause to rummage around in my purse some more. "here's some Ibuprofen for your lip. That looks like it hurts."

Vanitas rolls his eyes but pops the pills anyway. "No shit, Sherlock."

"Bite me," I snap back, enjoying the banter. I honestly don't know why Sora hates him so much...I mean sure, Vanitas beat him in a fight, and admitted that he would've killed Ansem if Sora hadn't, but barring that, he doesn't seem like such a bad guy.

Vanitas moves closer, pressing me up against the locker, trapping me there with his arms on either side of my head. He leans down, and grazes the side of my neck with his teeth, sending a jolt of pleasure through my veins.

"Be careful what you wish for, Red. You just might get it." Vanitas moves to kiss my lips instead, slow and smoldering, before pulling away with a grin.

I try to calm my racing heart, force myself not to shudder when I suck in a breath. I smack his arm playfully. "Stop it."

Vanitas ignores me, and leans in again.

I uses his distraction to my advantage and smear some of the cover up across the bruised flesh around his eye. He hisses and jerks back, and I feel bad for hurting him.

"Fuck!" he exclaims, but then he takes a deep breath and smiles.

"Seriously?" his tone is incredulous, but I can tell he isn't really angry. "You are a devious little devil, aren't you?"

I blush at his tone of voice and continue applying the makeup as gently as I can.

"This is stupid." Vanitas complains, trying to pull away.

I grab his arm to hold him still, even though I know he can easily shake me off if he wants to. "Maybe, but you'll look even stupider walking around with half a black eye. Quit being such a baby and let me finish."

Vanitas huffs, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was pouting, but he lets me work, leaning in to kiss me softly when I'm finally finished with him.

"Thanks, kiddo. You're one in a million." Vanitas winks again and turns to leave, but I'm not ready to let him go just yet.

"Wait," I say, blushing a little when it comes out less like a command, and more like a plea.

"What?"

"About last night," I begin, a little hesitant, afraid of his reaction. "Why didn't you fight back? No one would have blamed you for defending yourself..."

Vanitas shrugs. "I didn't think it would be...appropriate, seeing as how he's, y'know, crippled." the shadow of a smug smirk crosses his features at these words, but it's gone before I can really be sure it was there in the first place.

"But..."

"I know, I'm supposed to be the 'bad guy'. I'm not supposed to have morals or a conscience or ethics. You really shouldn't believe everything he tells you, Red. Did he tell you about Kingdom Hearts yet?"

I bite my lip. "Yes."

Vanitas looks mildly surprised. "Really? So what is it, then?"

"He told me it was a gemstone." I look to Vanitas, trying to gage his reaction.

"And you believed him." Vanitas retorts. It isn't a question.

"Yes," I suddenly feel like I've been fooled again.

"That's what I thought." Vanitas mutters. "Look, I don't mean to keep harping on this, but we've already established that Sora's not exactly the most trustworthy person in the world...Hell, he attacked me last night with no provocation, and if you'll recall, he never once asked me to leave like a civil person would."

"You did kind of show up un announced." I point out, realizing how feeble my defense of Sora is as soon as the words have left me.

"I know," Vanitas counters smoothly. "And while I'll admit that that was kind of a dick move, Riku and Roxas didn't seem to mind all that much."

I think back, sifting through my fuzzy, alcohol-laden memories, only to realize that Vanitas is right.

"I'm sure Sora's told you this," Vanitas begins, shoving his hands in his pockets as he moves slowly backwards down the hall. "But sometimes the best tactic is _not_ to fight. Brute force can only get you so far. Ever notice how he never takes his own advice."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that while I respect your devotion, I personally wouldn't fight alongside someone until I trusted them. If Sora doesn't trust you with his life, why do you trust him with yours?"

It takes me a second to realize that Vanitas means personal life, not the fact that Sora or I would give our lives for each other, or any of the other Wielders for that matter, in a heartbeat. Looking at it in that kind of objective light, Vanitas_ does _have a good point.

"Because..." I'm grasping at straws now, searching for a valid reason to back up my loyalty. And, even though I know I'm supposed to be furious that Vanitas would question Sora like that—I wasn't completely sure Sora was being honest with me in the first place, and now that I think about it, I realize that he doesn't really deserve my trust.

_They have you so _blinded_... _

I'd been too upset to pay attention to Vanitas' words before, but I understand now that he was right.

I was blind.

But no longer.

"I don't know," I admit finally. "I care about him,"

"But you don't necessarily trust him." Vanitas finishes for me, with a sad, almost sympathetic smile. "Understandable. Are you ready to learn the truth? About Kingdom Hearts, I mean."

I nod. "Tell me,"

"I'll do you one better." Vanitas extends a hand, and I take it, even as my stomach twists with guilt. "I'll _show _you."

I take a deep breath. "Okay."

I reach for his hand, knowing all the while that if I do this, if I take his hand and leave with him, there's no going back after this.

Vanitas' fingers close around mine.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to," Vanitas says slowly. "I don't want to force you into anything."

I shake my head. "It's alright. I want to know what Sora's been hiding from me."

Vanitas nods. "Fair enough. Let's go."

**Thoughts? Comments? Fans of the Vanitas/Kairi situation? Let me know and Review!**

**See you next chapter!**

**Look Sharp,**

**~Script**


	27. Revelations

**Disclaimer: I own nothing **

**Thank you all for your support thus far—you guys have gotten me though a few tough times and difficult bouts of writer's block. You guys rock!**

**On with the show!**

_**Chapter XXVII: Revelations**_

_**Kairi**_

The engine roars as Vanitas tears up the deserted backroads on the way to Destiny Islands.

He is smooth and confident behind the wheel, completely in control. Vanitas drives a sleek—and if the plush leather interior is any indication—very expensive black Lexus.

"Are you nervous?" Vanitas asks quietly as we round the bend.

I swallow hard, realizing for the first time that I am indeed nervous.

Destiny Islands comes into view, a sad shadow of it's former glory. The town has since been rebuilt, but the land around it still bears ugly scars in testament to the horrors that occurred here three years earlier.

The town still has a laid-back feel to it, or at least it looks that way from a distance, but my heart lodges in my throat when Vanitas speeds past the place where Sora rescued me three years ago.

_The pain is excruciating, that much is an absolute certainty._

_But if I had to, I could take it._

_The knowledge of what's happening to me makes it that much worse._

_These things are eating me. They're ripping and tearing and biting and gnawing and clawing at me, slicing open my skin until the earth around me turns to a muddy paste because I'm bleeding so much. Their claws scrabble uselessly against the back of my rib cage._

_Gunfire rises above the horrible sounds of agony and dying men, and someone is screaming commands._

_"Hard contact west of checkpoint Bravo. Need immediate medical assistance! Marking position with flare-ah gods, get 'em off me!"_

_There's a _whoosh _and suddenly, everything is awash in a brilliant red-orange glow._

_The man's screams dissolve into this awful gurgling sound, and then there's nothing but the hissing and clicking of the creatures and my own pitiful sobbing._

_My stomach turns at the sight of the maroon liquid pooling on the ground around me-I didn't know I could bleed so much._

_Dizziness sets in then, followed swiftly by exhaustion, and the cold, unwavering knowledge that I'm about to die._

_Don't give up._

_It's so hard to keep my eyes open. Why is it so hard?_

_Stay awake._

_Stay...awake._

_Stay..._

"Kairi?" Vanitas' soft inquiry pulls me out of that dark place, and then I realize that we've pulled over. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to..."

I take a few deep breaths, force myself to calm down. "No, no, it's okay. We can go,"

"You sure?" Vanitas looks at me, his amber eyes flashing. "I don't want to force you into anything. I could explain it to you if you'd rather not go back."

"I'm okay, really. Just some bad memories, that's all."

"We'll take it slow then. I know a great place for ice-cream on the way."

I nod again, not sure what else to do with myself and smile at him. "Thanks for doing this." I tell him, and I find myself wishing that Sora would be just as honest and thoughtful as Vanitas is being.

We cruise into town, and I'm a little surprised to see how busy the shops are and such—the community's more resilient than I would have figured, but Destiny Islands still hasn't fully returned to its former glory.

Vanitas pulls into the parking lot of a small restraunt _The Seaside Shack_.

He holds the door of both the car and the restraunt open for me, like a gentleman should, and I catch myself wondering why Sora's never done any of this if cares about me as much as he says he does.

"How opposed are you to trying new things?" Vanitas murmurs out of the side of his mouth as we wait in line to order.

"I like to think I'm pretty open-minded..." I answer, sidling closer to him .

"Do you mind if I order for you?" Vanitas asks gently.

I shake my head. "Nope, but if I get sick, I'm blaming you." I warn, narrowing my eyes in a threatening manner.

Vanitas just laughs. "Fair enough,"

We get to the counter and the guy behind the register is openly leering at me.

Vanitas pulls me closer, tucking my head against his side.

I wrap my arms around his waist and press against him more closely. I catch myself smiling as he kisses the top of my head; and out of the corner of my eye, I see the other young man recoil, visibly shaken, and I know Vanitas must be glaring daggers at him.

A snicker escapes me, and I hug Vanitas tighter. I know this is fratrenizing with the 'enemy' but at this point, I can't really bring myself to care.

Sora never does anything like this for me, and if he cared for me as much as he says, he'd at least make an effort to spend time with me.

He orders me something called 'Sea-Salt' ice cream, and I eye the blue sphere topping the waffle cone with suspicion.

Vanitas rolls his eyes. "Just eat it, Kairi."

I take a slow, probing taste of the bluish ice cream, and there's an explosion of taste in my mouth.

At first, it's salty, and then it morphs into an almost-unbearable sweetness, reminiscent of M&Ms and popcorn at the movies.

"It's _good_," I say, surprised as I take a few more licks.

"It is," Vanitas agrees, wiping his lips with a napkin as he polishes off his cone.

I finish off my cone as Vanitas looks around. I feel slightly better about the whole affair now, like I'm ready for whatever this escapade has to throw at me.

"Are you ready?" Vanitas asks, looking at me, in a calm, assessing fashion.

I nod. "I'm ready. Let's go,"

Vanitas apraises me with an arched eyebrow, and shakes his head. "Not yet. You need a change of clothes first."

"What's wrong with these—"

"Not for now. It's for...Afterward." Vanitas interrupts, shaking his head. He holds out his hand and I take it.

Vanitas pulls me out of the chair and we head down to a little store by the beach that sells mostly trashy t-shirts, and I pick up a sweatshirt, sweatpants and some underwear and socks at Vanitas' insistence, and then we head down to the docks.

I can see the play island that Sora, Riku, Roxas, Naminé and I grew up on, and a ball of hot lead coalsces in my stomach and I freeze. _I can't do this..._

"Kairi?" Vanitas places a gentle hand on my shoulder. "It's okay," he says, pulling me into a hug. "Like I said before, I'm not here to force you into anything."

I take a deep, shuddering breath. "It's okay. I have to do this," I push away from him and step down into the weather-beaten rowboat and Vanitas sits down across from me and takes the oars.

"If you're sure,"

I nod. "Yeah...Let's go."

_*****DMS*****_

Vanitas leads me to the familiar entrance to a cove near the waterfall, a favorite hiding spot of Sora and I when we played hide-and-seek with the other kids.

"It's in there." Vanitas gestures to the mouth of the cave, speaking up so he can be heard over the thundering waterfall. "It's behind the wooden door at the back of the cave."

"Aren't you coming with me?" I ask.

Vanitas nods, pulling a strip of black cloth out of his back pocket. "Of course. I just won't be watching...I've already been exposed to it's power."

I gasped. "What?"

Vanitas smirks and ties the cloth around his eyes. "You didn't think my eyes were always yellow, did you? They used to be blue, once."

"Will...will that happen to me?" I ask. I find myself wondering how I would look with amber eyes.

Vanitas shrugs. "Possibly. It isn't the kind of thing you can predict."

I nod, squaring my shoulders before the fear twisting my guts can make me immobile. "Come on,"

I have to duck to go inside, trailing my fingers along the familiar divots and grooves in the stone. All the drawings we'd carved into the cave walls with rocks are still there, but one of them has been added to.

Sora's drawn himself sharing a paopu fruit with me. The sight of it makes me absolutely furious, before I realize what I'm doing, my Keyblade is in my hand, carving a deep furrow through the crude art.

_No. You don't deserve that, Sora. Not after what you've done._ My lips peel back from my teeth in a snarl, and I lower the Keyblade, panting.

"Are you done yet?" Vanitas chuckles. "Nice form, though."

I huff, and take the keychain off the handle, stuffing both it and the handle into my back pocket.

Vanitas ties the blindfold around his head once we reach the door at the back of the cave. "Here it is," he says gesturing toward the door.

I pull at the door, but it won't budge.

"You can't open it with your hands, Kairi. Use the Keyblade."

I follow Vanitas' instruction, feeling a little silly as I point the thing at the door.

It works however, and a silvery keyhole appears on the wood. A beam of light from my Keyblade shoots into the opening, and the wooden panel dissolves in a blinding shimmer.

The world falls away, and then a deep, menacing voice lances into my ears.

"This world been connected."

I have just enough time to think: _What?_ And then I'm flailing, lost in a murky black cloud. And then, suddenly, I'm standing on a stained glass platform which inexplicably appears from the swirling ebony depths.

"Tied to the Darkness...Soon to be completely eclipsed."

A figure in a brown robe, not unlike a monk's is standing across from me on the platform, arms folded. The shadow cast by its hood makes it impossible to see its face, and the robe avalanches out any shape the figure's body might have, make it equally futile to try and discern its gender.

"There is so very much to learn. You understand so little."

"What are you talking about?" I lower my Keyblade into a standard 'ready' position, hoping that my relaxation will ease the figure into explaining.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to hear me.

"A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing. But, you will learn."

The figure extends his hand and there's another flash, but this one hurts.

The pain is like nothing I've ever experienced .

It _burns_.

My head is on fire, like my skull has been filled with magma.

Images flash through my mind's eye, too quick, too frantic, too jumbled to make sense of, and then my muscles give out on my and I'm on my hands and knees retching and trying not to claw my eyes out from the pain.

I feel a markedly different sensation in my nether regions, a sensation that I haven't felt since I was three. I realize then that I've peed myself, and if I wasn't in so much pain, I'd be absolutely mortified, but agony is my universe now, scraping my nerve endings ragged with its intensity.

There's a sharp pop, and then I'm back in the cave, puking my guts out into the sand.

My stomach clenches and I can feel the blood vessels in my face rupture from the force of my dry-heaves. My arms tremble, and I manage to shove away from the puddle of vomit in the sand before I collapse onto the ground, throat constricting as I gasp for air.

The last thing I feel before succumbing to the welcome numbness of unconsciousness is Vanitas' gentle embrace.

"It's okay, Kairi. I've got you."

**Thoughts? Comments? Worried about Kairi? Review!**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Script**


	28. Crossing the Line

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**As always, thanks a ton for all your support guys!**

**On with the show!**

_**XXVIII: Crossing the Line**_

_** Kairi**_

Somehow, I've always imagined that death would be less..._tumultuous_ than this.

My pulse is skyrocketing, but it's fast and thready and weak, like an exhausted drummer who can't quite manage to hit all the notes. The dizziness that accompanies this sensation is just as unpleasant as it is crippling, and the flop-sweat is not only gross, but it does nothing to help regulate my body temperature. One minute I'm burning up, and then next I'm so cold my teeth are chattering.

I manage to pry my eyes open and focus for a few seconds at a time, the jagged fragments of undistorted vision that my fevered brain manages to process tell me that I'm in a cheap hotel room.

And then, it all goes dark again.

Someone lays a cool washcloth on my forehead. It helps the fever a bit.

Blackness.

When the darkness ebbs again, the I'm shaking, my entire body is wracked with tremors and the level of weakness in my limbs is astonishing.

My eyelids feel like they weigh a thousand pounds when I force them open, trying to get some idea of where I am and what's going on.

As it turns out, my initial impression was right: I _am_ in a cheap motel room, and Vanitas is lounging on the bed next to me, hands behind his head.

"Hey," Vanitas says softly, reaching over to stroke my hair. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," I say before I can censor myself.

Vanitas lets out a short chuckle. "That's certainly understandable."

"What happened? I feel...different." I say, and it's true. I feel more powerful.

My senses are keener, sharper, allowing me to percieve the world with a diamond-edged clarity. There's a gnawing hunger in my stomach and I wonder how long I've been out—I can't remember the last time I was this hungry.

"You were exposed to some of Kingdom Hearts' power." Vanitas says.

"What does that mean, exactly?" I wonder.

"It means that Kingdom Hearts decided that you were worthy of some measure of its power, and it gave some to you. It's a rare honor; only those with strong hearts can even hope to be worthy of it. Good thing too—if Kingdom Hearts had decided that you weren't worth it, exposure would have killed you." Vanitas confesses, looking as close to sheepish as I've ever seen him.

"So...I'm like you now..." I realize. "How do I look?"

Vanitas gives me this cocky little smirk and gestures to the bathroom. "See for yourself."

I stumble toward the bathroom, legs unsteady, and I grip the edges of the sink to hold myself up so I can look into the mirror.

The face that stares back at me is unfamiliar, but there's no doubt that it's mine. My eyes are glowing an angry, molten amber as Vanitas warned they might be, and my once-auburn hair is now a rich, dark ebony. It isn't a bad look, it's just different. It takes a moment to get used to it, but I slowly adjust to the fact that this is how I'm going to look for the forseeable future; it isn't quite as horrible as I'd imagined.

Vanitas saunters over to join me in the bathroom. "So...What do you think."

"I like it," I realize, smiling.

"You should; it's a good look for you, Kairi." Vanitas leans down to press his lips against the side of my neck.

I turn to kiss him back, but my legs give out beneath me, and Vanitas shifts from kissing to catching, chuckling softly to himself.

The lethatgic haze returns with a vengeance and I can't help but wonder:

"How long've I been out?" I ask.

"Four days." Vanitas says, and my jaw hits the floor.

"_What_?"

Vanitas gives me a small smile, enough to calm me down. "Don't worry; it's normal. If anything, you're recovering much faster than I did—I was out of commission for almost a week. Take it easy for now, your strength will return in time."

I nod, unable to stop myself from yawning.

My phone buzzes and Vanitas' lip curls in distaste.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Sora's been calling you nonstop for the past few days. He left several angry messages and threatened to revoke your status as a Wielder about a thousand times..." Vanitas rolls his eyes.

The knowledge of what has transpired during my comatose state makes me angry all over again. Sora's name comes up on the screen and before I can stop myself, I'm picking up the phone and snarling into it.

"Fuck off, Sora. I don't want to talk to you. I'm done playing games, when you man up enough to talk to me like an adult, then we'll talk, but until then, I don't want to hear from you."

"Kairi, wait-" Sora pleads.

As much as I hate to admit it, even to myself, the control I have over him in this situation is entirely satisfying. "Save it Sora. You've had plenty of chances to express yourself. I warned you this would happen. Give me some space."

Sora's breath rasps over the line. "You're with _him, _aren't you?"

"I don't see how that matters. You don't own me Sora—I can see whoever I want."

There's a pregnant pause, and then Sora says:

"I'm coming to get you."

"No you're not." I snap back. "I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions. If you don't like them, then deal with it on your own time. I'm warning you now, if you come after me, there'll be hell to pay."

"It's not up to you." Sora snaps, and then the line goes dead.

I'm literally shaking with rage and my phone shatters in my grip Tiny crimson rivulets trickle down my palm as the jagged edges slice into my flesh.

"What?" Vanitas puts a gentle hand on my shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"He's coming here." I snap, irritated.

"Do you think he's willing to talk about it, or do you think he's going to try to take you by force?" Vanitas wonders.

"He certainly doesn't like the fact that I'm here..." I admit.

"Do you want to go with him?" Vanitas continues.

"No,"

"Then why let him take you? Your exposure to Kingdom Hearts did more than alter your appearance. You're stronger, faster, more agile, more durable now. That's why I beat Sora so easily when we fought. He's a fantastic fighter, but he's too reliant on that. Sora can beat most people without even breaking a sweat and he's a formidable challenge for me, but he's too comfortable with his skills. He fights the same way he thinks—in straight lines. Clean cut, all edges and no flexibility. Against you or me, that doesn't work very well, no matter how hard he trains."

I nod, realizing for the first time that I might actually be capable of beating Sora in a fight. Just the thought of me sends a thrill through me.

"Of course, if you change your mind, I won't stop you." Vanitas admits with a somber nod.

"I won't. You're the only person who's been honest with me this whole time. If you need my help, I'm here." I tell him.

Vanitas leans down to kiss my cheek. "Thank you,"

I angle my head so his lips meet mine instead of my cheek, but before the contact can intensify, Sora's bursting through the door, Keyblade in hand."

His cerulean eyes burn with murder and accusation. "Where is she?" he snarls.

I assume he's talking about me and I almost confess to being right in front of him-

Vanitas doesn't move from the bed, he simply speads his arms in a placating gesture. "You think I'm keeping her here?" He asks.

"Where else would she be?" Sora responds, like Vanitas has just asked the most asinine question in the universe.

"Away from you, apparently." Vanitas counters, smirking as he folds his arms.

"What have you done with her?" Sora growls, his hand tightening on the grip of his Keyblade.

"You act like you own her or something..." Vanitas points out levelly, his hand drifting to the small of my back; I realize that he's trying to bait Sora into revealing his true feelings.

Sora doesn't respond, but his lips compress into a grim line.

"And you wonder why she doesn't want to be with you,"

"I'm doing what's _best_ for her." Sora responds, and it takes all my self-control to keep my mouth shut.

"Obviously, she doesn't see it that way." Vanitas responds coolly moving to stand at the foot of the bed.

"Where. Is. She?" Sora demands.

"I'm right here," I say finally. "Like the new look?" I answer, taking my place at Vanitas' side. Anger simmers in my gut at the fact that Sora was never looking out for me, didn't care about me as a person or a friend—he just thought I was too dumb to take care of myself.

"What...What's he done to you?" Sora's jaw hits the floor.

"Vanitas has done nothing other than treat with kindness and respect." I flip my hair out of my face so I can glare at him properly. "Maybe you should take a page from his book." I put my hands on my hips.

"Are you shitting me?" Sora demands. "After everything I've done for you, you betray me by siding with _him_?"

I cock my head sideways at him, not quite able to believe what I'm hearing. "All you've _done_ is lie to me, Sora. I thought I could trust you, but clearly I can't."

Sora stares at me. "He's messing with your mind, Kairi. Don't worry...I can help you. Just come back to base and we'll get this sorted out."

I shake my head. "I'm not coming back. My decision is my own, there's no trickery involved, Sora."

Sora's eyes glaze over and before I can process what's happening, I'm staring down the barrel of a gun. "I can't allow you to defect Kairi. Knowing what you know...It's just too dangerous." Sora clicks the safety off and steadies his aim.

"Sora, put the gun down. No one has to get hurt." Vanitas says slowly.

"_To combat tyranny in all its forms,_" Sora recites.

"Put the gun down Sora. I don't want to have to hurt you," I say, sad, angry, and hurt that things have come to this.

"Goodbye, Kairi," Sora says in a dead voice.

Everything happens at once.

There's a deafening bang, like a cannon, or a bomb blast, and then Vanitas is in front of me.

He slams into me and we both go down.

My head cracks into the floor, and my ears ring at the impact.

When my vision clears, there's this red stuff all over me, and Vanitas and the floor, and then my brain catches up and I realize what just happened."

Sora shot Vanitas.

Vanitas stepped in front of me take the bullet...

I'm frozen, terrified, paralyzed with shock at this knowledge:

_Sora just tried to kill me..._

**Thoughts? Comments? Surprised? Review!**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Script**


	29. Fording the Rubicon

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**As always, thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited this story so far, your support has been absolutely incredible! Thanks!**

**On with the show!**

_**Chapter XXIX: Fording the Rubicon**_

_**Kairi**_

This is how it happens:

Vanitas crumples to the floor, his face constricted in agony as smoke and blood leak from the hole in his abdomen.

His honey-gold eyes flutter shut and rage ignites in my blood

Sora tosses the smoking gun aside with a contemptuous snarl etched across his face and readies his Keyblade.

"Traitor," he snarls.

In that moment, I realize that he's already given up on me.

"Tyrant," I snap back, completely by reflex as the power of Kingdom Hearts pulses through my blood.

"What the fuck is wrong with you Kairi?! You're siding with _him_?"

I fold my arms, refusing to appear intimidated by the appearance of his weapon. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't."

Sora falters and his lips compress. "You love him." he assumes.

I shake my head. " Vanitas is resonable. He's nice. He treats me with respect and dignity, and I really like him. But I wouldn't say that I love him; not yet."

"Love is blind," Sora bites.

"And justice is irresolute," I respond, off the cuff. "Look at you," this heady power seeps into my every cell, turning my voice into a spiteful sneer. "You're like a gun. A useful tool in the right situation, but a danger to someone inexperienced. You never stop to consider all the facts, you just jump in with both feet and start swinging, praying that you'll hit the right target." I purse my lips, and I can feel the barb on the tip of my tongue. "You're pathetic."

Sora scoffs. "_I'm_ pathetic? _I'm pathetic_? _You're _the one siding with the enemy, ditching me, after all our years of friendship for some sycophantic fuck-up with a couple smooth one-liners."

"Bullshit! What friendship? You've been nothing but a self-rightious, pompous, arrogant _dictator _since we met again. You refuse to be honest with me about anything, and yet you expect me to be at your beck-and-call, and obey your every order with no question and no hesitation. So I ask you again: _What friendship_?"

"I'll ask you once, for old times' sake. Come quietly. We can sort this out. No one has to get hurt." Sora raises one hand, palm out, in the universal gesture for peace.

But he doesn't let go of his Keyblade.

Vanitas gasps, pressing his hands tighter to the hole in his guts.

I shake my head, infinitely, impossibly sad that things have come to this. "Clearly that isn't the case."

Sora's terse expression dissolves into one of feral joy as he brandishes his weapon. "Fine, have it your way."

Everything happens at once:

Sora flashes across the room, faster than any normal human can run, but he isn't fast enough to catch me by surprise—Vanitas wasn't lying about the effects of Kingdom Hearts' power.

Sora's Keyblade comes around in a thundering overhand; even with my newfound strength, the vibration still numbs my hands, and it's a struggle to hold onto my weapon.

Sora proves his mettle, bringing his elbow around; I barely manage to block in time to save my larynx from being crushed.

I slam my fist into the side of Sora's head, stifling a scream when last two fingers of my left hand snap under the force of the impact.

Sora stumbles back dazed, and I'm more angry than upset now, and slam my foot into his gut, sending him flying back into the wall hard enough to crack the plaster.

Sora wipes blood from the back of his hand and nods. "You've gotten stronger." he admits. "It's a shame it won't be enough to save him.

I feel the rage curdling in my gut, clawing at my insides like a living thing, demanding release. "Try it, Sora." I challenge him, the coppery tang of ire and bile mixing in the back of my throat. I charge across the room, and for the first time, Sora's face registers surprise, and then I'm pummeling him _through _the wall—thankfully, the next room is empty.

Sora smashes a lamp against the side of my head, his teeth bared in a feral snarl.

The impact is painful, but nowhere near as bad as it would be without Kingdom Hearts. The blow still dazes me, and I barely manage to get my Keyblade around in time to keep Sora from severing my spine.

A resounding _crack_ echoes from my follow-up hammerfist to Sora's jaw, and he stumbles back into the bed and the spits out a bloody, broken tooth.

He lets out a dark chuckle. "Is that all you've got?"

A red haze clouds my vision, and I drive him backward into the bed; he plants a knee in my gut to keep me from pressing my Keyblade to his throat.

I realize that his palm is rocketing toward my face, too fast to do anything but pray that the impact doesn't drive my nose into my brain and kill me.

I manage to turn my head aside at the last second, so that his palm stike hits my cheekbone instead of my nose. The impact is a burst of white fire and a fog of dizziness, but I force myself to shake it off.

Sora's already bearing down on me when my vision clears, driving into me with his shoulder, and I stumble back into the table. He seizes the back of my head in a painfully tight grip and slams my head into the table one, two, three, four, five times.

My head swims worse with each impact, my ears are ringing, and I can taste blood.

My legs give out beneath me, and I clutch the edge of the table for support.

Sora's eyes flash murderously as he pulls a long combat knife out of his boot. "I'm sorry it had to be this way, Kairi. But I have no tolerance for traitiors. I can't allow you to compromise our order." He rears back and plunges the knife up to its hilt in my back.

A high, shrill, piercing scream reaches my ears and it takes me a second to realize that the sound is coming from _ me_.`

The pain is excruciating—every breath is like taking in a mouthful of hot coals. I can feel the knife's blade twinging inside me in time with my heartbeat; it's a miracle that it didn't hit any major arteries. I collapse to the ground, barely managing to avoid Sora's foot as he attempts to crush my windpipe.

I slam the pommel of my Keyblade into the side of his knee, just like Riku taught me, and I am rewarded with a dull crunch and a stumble from Sora. I force myself to stand while he's weak, otherwise I might not get back up.

Sora's hand snaps out. "_Firaga!_" he snarls as he regains his balance.

I know I'm in trouble, and even though it hurts like hell to move, I throw myself out of the way as a massive fireball explodes from his hand

The heat is incredible, pulling the skin tight over my bones—I turn around just in time to see it barrel though what's left of the wall, the edges of the hole glowing and smoking as the magical juggernaut tears through the building, setting it ablaze.

Sora leaps at me, a fraction slower than last time, and I slip out of the way, jamming my elbow into his broken ribs. He cries out as he crashes to the ground, rolling to absorb the impact. He forces himself to his knees and pauses there, gasping.

I take advantage of his distraction to pull the knife from my back, stifling another scream. Immediately, I can feel hot rivulets of blood coursing down my back, soaking into the waistband of my pants.

Sora's up now, eyes flashing as he charges again.

With Kingdom Hearts' power coursing through me, it doesn't take much force to use his momentum against him and hurl him into the table hard enough that it splinters under the impact.

I try to lift my Keyblade, but the wound in my shoulder must have damaged the muscle, because it's too heavy. I drop my Keyblade and clutch the knife, still wet and crimson with my blood and step after him.

Sora knocks the knife from my hand and my broken fingers protest at the jarring motion, but I force myself to shut out the pain.

I drive my elbow into Sora's chest and break a flimsy wooden chair against his skull when he lunges at me.

Sora stumbles to a knee, the slams his fist against the underside of my chin, snapping my head back.

Power surges through me, sharpening my reflexes, clearing my vision in time to counter Sora's tackle by hurling him into the door hard enough that he crashes through it with a trememndous crash.

Sora rebounds off the wall of the hallway outside with a heavy thud, shaking off the impact like it's nothing, bringing his Keyblade around in a vicious hack.

I raise my forearm to block, only to remember that I don't have my gauntlets, and I'm forced to roll under the impact. I scrabble for the knife as I roll past it, unwilling to face such an experienced opponent with nothing but my bare hands. The stab of pain as the knife wound in my back takes the brunt of my weight is almost enough to make me vomit, but I force the bile back, driving the knife into Sora's right calf muscle with every ounce of strength I can muster.

Sora screams and drops to a knee, Keyblade tumbling from his grip.

_Now or never._

I leap for the weapon as Sora stumbles after me. My hand closes around the grip in the same instant as Sora shouts:

"Thunder,"

My next breath tastes like ozone and then my body jerks and convulses as I take a direct hit from a lightning bolt. My heart stutters and my vision flashes blue and white and gray, and I'm vaguely away of a string of drool oozing from my mouth.

Sora's pulling himself toward me, propping himself up with the help of the wall, and I try to force myself back to my feet, but my muscles refuse to obey my commands.

I drag myself away from him, scrabbling backward across the floor in a crabwalk as Sora picks up his Keyblade in a lurching half-step, his body trembling, whether from rage or exhaustion, I can't tell.

Sora's eyes burn with exhaustion and despair and anguish as he staggers forward. He pauses for a moment, and spits a stream of blood out onto the ground.

"How..." he wonders. "How could you _do_ this?" he stammers, sagging against the wall.

"Do what?" I sneer. "Refuse to be your fucking _puppet_?"

"I _love_ you, Kairi!" He shouts, his voice ragged, somewhere between rage and utter desperation.

_Cure_. I mouth the words under my breath—I learned the basics of magic in my training sessions, and it seems to have paid off now; I can feel the severed muscles knitting themselves back together. It isn't anything near fully healed—not even close—but it'll have to be enough.

"Bullshit." I snap back. "You _love_ me? What could you possibly have done to prove that to me, other than try to control me when I don't do what you want? That isn't love, Sora. That's obsession."

"How dare you!" Sora snaps back.

I place a hand on my chest. "_Me_? _ You're_ the one who's out of line here. Look at you; you come here and try to murder my friend because you're jealous that I won't hang out with you? If that's not obsessive and controlling, I don't know what is."

Sora splutters, and his laugh of what I assume is disbelief comes out as more of a cackle. "_Friends..._You really have betrayed us, Kairi."

"I never _betrayed _you, Sora. I never told Vanitas anything he doesn't already know. I never compromised any of you. I just wanted to see his side of the story."

"Save it. You've made it clear where you stand. I'm sorry it has to be this way." Sora shoves away from the wall, and settles into a lopsided battle stance as his calf weeps blood onto the thin carpet.

I take a deep breath. I need to get past him, need to get to my Keyblade, or I don't stand a chance.

I'm more durable now, yes, but if the knife wound proves anything, I'm not indestructible.

I close my eyes, forcing myself to channel this newfound power thrilling though my veins. I wish I could be as fluid as Vanitas or Sora, or any of the other Wielders, for that matter, but I don't have enough experience.

But that doesn't mean I'm just going to give up and die.

As much as it breaks my heart, I know that right now, at this moment, Sora won't hesitate to kill me.

I don't weigh enough to bowl him off his feet, and the ceiling is too low for me to vault over his head.

I decide to just go with my instincts.

A feint forward draws him into a clumsy sweeping blow—his Keyblade slams into the wall, embedding itself there.

I use the wall as a springboard, shoving off of it, and using my momentum to clothesline him into the opposite wall.

I take off running back toward the room we've just left and snatch my Keyblade off the floor.

Smoke burns my eyes—the building's really burning now—and I turn just in time to catch Sora's blow.

I leap back as Sora's weapon slams into the floor, but he wastes no time following up with a gravity spell, crushing a gaping hole into the floor between us.

I stare at him and his piercing glare cuts right through me.

I leap across the gap at him and our blades meet in an explosion of furious movement.

He is me and I am him in this intimite tangle, this ferocious melding of chaos and order.

Sora sends me reeling with a brutal backhand, but I counter by driving a knee into his already mangled rins.

We whirl and clash and bind, blades ringing as flames sear the room around us, teetering dangerously on the edge of the hole.

We're both incredible fighters, but neither of us is invincible, and we are equally unable at forcing our already taxed bodies to continue performing at such an incredibly demanding pace indefinitely.

This is how it ends:

I'm exhausted and in pain, and I can barely keep my arms from buckling at Sora's attacks, even with the boost Kingdom Hearts gave me.

Sora is as relentless as he is ruthless, driving his forehead into mine in a skull-splitting headbutt. But his prowess has made him overconfident.

I let myself stumble back under the blow, whirling out of the way when he attempts to shove me into the hole.

He misses a cut at my back, and I have to take advantage of the opening when his strike misses and he overrotates as a result.

_Kill or be killed._

It's surprising how quickly my thoughts turn to such basic instincts, but I don't have time to think about that now.

_I'm sorry,_ I think and then I plunge my Keyblade into Sora's back.

The sound is hideous, like an axe crushing a watermelon.

Sora gives a choked gurgle and turns around slowly, his face blank, mouth slack. He gags, and blood dribbles from one corner of his mouth as his expression changes from shocked to horrified.

Sora glares at me, and raises his weapon to strike again as I let go of my Keyblade.

"If I die, you're coming with me."

I shake my head sadly, and step back out of his range. "I'm sorry it had to be this way. I didn't want this..." hot tears burn my eyes, streaming down my cheeks,

Sora just snarls. "Fuck you."

And then he topples backward into the hole in the floor.

**Thoughts? Comments? Think Kairi went overboard? Opinions on whether Sora should live or die? REVIEW!**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Script**


	30. Master, Keeper

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**As always, thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited this story! You all have been incredibly supportive, and this wouldn't be possible without you. Thanks!**

**We also get to see what's happening from a new character's Point-of-View, hope you guys like it!**

**On with the show!**

_**Chapter XXX: Master, Keeper**_

_** Kairi**_

Once the adrenaline wears off, the pain sets in. My left shoulder burns and aches, and my arm falls, limp and useless, to my side.

My right hand throbs in time to my heartbeat—I must've broken more than just fingers.

I force myself to shut out the pain for the time being and stumble back along the hallway to the room Vanitas rented.

"Vanitas?" I shout into the smoke-filled chamber.

"I'm right here," Vanitas' strained voice comes from behind me, startling me.

"Are you alright?" I ask, and then feel stupid for doing so once I see that his blood-soaked hand is still pressed against his perforated abdomen.

Vanitas gives me a tense nod. "I'll manage," he grimaces and jerks his head toward the exit sign, glowing dim and muted in the smoke-filled hallway.

My brain belatedly registers the screeching of the fire alarm, and Vanitas and I hobble out of the building, leaning on each other for support.

Despite his injury he helps me into the car before getting in himself—if he's worried about ruining the pristine leather interior with either of our blood, he doesn't show it. He puts the car in gear and peels out of the parking lot, his face ashen, his breath coming in ragged pants.

"Where..." I trail off, and I have to force myself to focus through the haze of pain fogging my thoughts. "where are we going?"

"We're going to see Master Xehanort. I have some unfinished business with him." Vanitas' lips peel back from his teeth in a preadatory smile, and I remember his word; it seems like a lifetime ago:

"..._The invasions are all just the first step in Master Xehanort's plan to unleash Kingdom Hearts. We're all just pawns really, pieces in a much bigger game."_

_ "And you're content with that?" I ask him, trying to make him see reason._

_ Vanitas laughs, an cunning, unstable sound. "Fuck, no! I'm offing Xehanort first chance I get. Poor old bastard's got no idea what he's messing with, getting into all this 'Kingdom Hearts' shit._"

I blink, grit my teeth, and fight the urge to vomit as pain explodes in my shoulder blades. _Pull it together, Kairi. You're stronger than this._

"What's your play?" I ask. "I thought you said you were going to kill Xehanort..."

Vanitas nods. "I absolutely will. But there's no sense wasting my time and energy forging a new order when he's so willing to do it himself."

"What's a 'new order' going to do to help anything? Didn't you pay attention at all in history class? You might be successful now, but in fifty, a hundred years from now, it isn't going to matter—you'll be dead, and some other poor schmuck with delusions of grandeur is going to try the exact same thing. It's nothing but a vicious cycle."

Vanitas chuckles, then sucks a breath through his teeth and presses his free hand tighter against the wound in his abdomen, which is still leaking blood all over everything. "Smart _and_ sexy; I like that. You're very observant, Kairi. That's what the war is for."

I blink. "Don't call me that," I tell him. _Kairi_ is a remnant of my old life, a dead thing, a relic, a label for the weak, pathetic person I used to be before Kingdom Hearts. "

"What would you like me to call you?" Vanitas wonders.

"I don't know," I admit. I know I don't want to be called _Kairi_, but it's been my name for seventeen, almost eighteen years now, and I'm nothing else springs to mind—I've never really had one of those moments where I thought: _I wish my parents would've named me... _"But, not Kairi."

Vanitas nods again. "Fair enough, Red. I'll think of something."

"Anyway, about the war..."

"Right," Vanitas begins, clenching his teeth. "Wars have been fought over Kingdom Hearts' power in the past, and all of them ended in a stalemate. But, for some reason, Xehanort thinks he has some kind of ace up his sleeve...So we're starting it up again. Besides, war's profitable."

"How the hell does Xehanort expect to be able to _control_ that kind of power. It could just as easily destroy civilization as we know it as give him in an advantage in the war." I wonder out loud.

"I know, but like I said, it's easier to let him do the work for us. We can take him out, but if we take the Wielders out too, reestablishing order won't be as difficult without them fighting us every step of the way." he explains.

Something curdles in my gut when he says this—change of allegience or not, Vanitas is still talking about the very good friends that I grew up with, severing those kinds of ties is never easy.

"Cold feet?" Vanitas prods.

"No. I'm just...adjusting."

"I know that what I'm asking you to do isn't easy...Like I said before: I'm not going to force you into anything; this has to be your decision."

I nod again. The choice is a difficult one, but after what Sora tried to do... "It's alright, I know what I want."

"Good." Vanitas, sucks in another breath, clenches his jaw and sighs. "Let's get back to base—neither of us is going to be doing much of anything until we get patched up, and I think it's about time you met the puppetmaster." Vanitas explains, blinking slowly as he grinds the accelerator the floor.

_*****DMS*****_

_** Riku**_

"What's wrong?" Yuffie asks me, leaning over the back of the couch to rub my shoulders. Her touch is gentle and firm and soothing. Her hands are supple and strong, no doubt the result of her extensive training in ninjitsu.

I sigh.

A lot of things are wrong actually.

Yen Sid and Mickey pronounced me a Keyblade Master after Sora's little meltdown a little over a month ago, though it feels like a lifetime.

It's certainly a great honor, but it's also a very weighty responsibility. I am now responsible for every Wielder on the team, Sora included.

Sora, despite his natural talent and incredible battle prowess, lacks the self-control and forethought to oversee such an operation without letting his emotions get the better of him. His little temper tantrum after Vanitas got away in Radient Garden only proved further that he isn't ready for that kind of authority.

I can't imagine he'll be very happy when he learns that he didn't make Keyblade Master—especially since we all looked to him to be our leader.

"It's nothing, kiddo, I'm just a little stressed out."

"Hey!" Yuffie retorts indignantly "You're only a few months older than me; and nice try, buster, but you aren't gonna shake me off that easy." Yuffie narrows her eyes shrewdly and crosses her arms; I have to bite back a snicker at her expression—sure, she can beat the daylights out of pretty much anyone, myself included, but she looks damn cute when she pouts like that.

And, the fact that's she's dressed in a pink shirt featuring a brownish blob—who's apparently named Domo if the graphic is anything to go by—and shorts doesn't really add any venom to her glare.

"What's bothering you?" she repeats, slowly, gently, as she sits down on the couch next to me.

"It's Sora," I tell her after a moment's pause. "He's been gone too long." I admit.

"I wouldn't worry too much. Sora's a beast—he can take care of himself. Besides, he's done stuff like this before, hasn't he? Disappeared for days on end on some kind of reconaissance mission?"

I nod. "I know it's not that big of a deal, and I know it's probably nothing...But after Radiant Garden, he hasn't really been himself. And now that Kairi's pulling away from him—not that I can blame her, since he's been such a dick to her lately—he's not exactly in a stable mindset right now. He's already been ignoring Dr. Gainsborough's reccomendation, and he flat out refused to rest until Mickey suspended him from duty, and I had to beat some sense into him before he would even do that..." I blow out a sigh, realize that I'm rambling, and force myself to organize my thoughts.

"I'd just feel better if I knew he wasn't out getting himself into trouble when he's not supposed to be on his feet in the first place. And, if it was just a recon, he'd have at least checked in by now."

"Do you think something happened to him?" Yuffie wonders.

I shrug. "I-" the loud quad-tone alarm from my phone interrupts me, and my guts turn to lead—the only reason my phone would make that sound would be if one of the Wielders is in trouble.

I know before I even look at it that Sora's in trouble.

Sure enough, he's activated his emergency GPS beacon.

Yuffie's deep brown eyes meet mine.

_Let's go. _

I nod, and lean in to kiss her softly on the lips. "I'll be right-" I begin, but she cuts me off.

"Oh-h-ho no, I don't think so," Yuffie puts her hands on her hips. "I'm coming with you."

I smile, because it's just like her to stubbornly insist on being wherever I am—and even though it worries me sometimes, it's nice to know she's watching my back.

"Just give me two minutes to get dressed."

_*****DMS*****_

The hotel is a bombed-out wreck of a building, belching smoke and flame into the air.

The sight does little to dispel the unease churning in my guts, especially since the people clustered in the parking lot—presumably the hotel's patrons—don't seem to have any clue what's going on.

Yuffie swallows nervously beside me. "He's in _there_? Something pretty nasty must've happened here to cause this much damage. What do you think happened?"

Normally, Yuffie's hyperactivity balances out my more stoic tendencies, but right now, I'd rather just find Sora and deal with the why of it later.

There's a young man with dark hair and a camera on the fringe of the crowd taking pictures, though he doesn't look too perturbed by the recent events.

"Excuse me," I begin. "Do you know what happened here?

The young man turns around, and shrugs, letting his camera hang around his neck. "Beats me. I was just staying here to attend a film seminar tomorrow morning, and all of a sudden I heard a gunshot, and then there was a terrible racket from a few floors up, and then the fire alarm started going off. I ran outside as fast as I could, but I'm not really sure what all the noise was about. I passed a guy in the lobby on the way out—poor bastard's in a bad way...I called 911, but nobody's showed up yet besides you guys. You with the police?"

I shrug. "You could say that."

"Private security firm," Yuffie explains, saving me from the awkward how-much-information-do-I-give-this-guy deliberation.

The young guy nods. "Well, the guy in there had the same jacket as you two, far as I could tell, but like I said, he was pretty banged up."

_Sora!_ My gut clenches, and I make for the door. "Thanks..."

"Pence," the young man supplies.

"Thanks, Pence," Yuffie repeats, but I can barely hear her, I'm already shoving through the crowd to get inside.

The smoke burns my eyes, and the shrill screeching of the fire alarms, along with the strobing lights is disorienting, but I force myself to block it out.

In my haste to get to Sora, I very nearly step on him.

"...ku" A hand latches onto my leg, and I look down.

I gasp.

"Oh, gods!" Yuffie moans.

Sora's battered almost beyond recognition, but the most alarming—and undoubtedly most severe—of his injuries is in the form of a Keyblade, driven entirely through his midsection.

"Sora, can you hear me?" I ask.

Sora groans.

"Just hold on, buddy, we're gonna get you some help." I say, fighting to keep my cool; his injury is definitely life-threatening, and he's pretty far gone already—he needs medical help, fast.

Sora shakes his head, reaching up with a trembling hand to sieze my jacket as the first of the sirens blare outside.

Yuffie leans in next to me, struggling to hear what Sora's trying to tell us—whatever it is, it must be pretty damn important if he's trying to talk despite his injuries.

Sora spits out a mouthful of blood. "Find...Kairi." he gasps, harshly and then slumps over, just as the paramedics arrive.

I'm about to ask why...and then I see it.

"Holy shit..." Yuffie breathes, voicing my own thoughts.

The tip of the Keyblade protruding from Sora's flesh is covered in gore, but not so much that I can't make out the design of the weapon.

This can't be happening.

This can't be real.

And as much as I want to hope, and pray, and beg the higher powers that this is all a bad dream, I know that this, here, now, is one-hundred-percent real.

I couldn't even conjure this up in my worst nightmare.

Because the tip of the Keyblade is covered in flowers.

**Thoughts? Comments? Worried about Sora? Review!**

**See you next chapter!**

**~Script**


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